


Under the Fence and Into Your Heart

by JojoPark7



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Dogs, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Meet-Cute, Neighbors, Not really sure where this will go but I hope you like it, Posie Endgame bc Julie Plec doesn't love us, Slow Burn, a little bit of Hizzie bc they're cute too, but not too slow, probably no angst or very little angst idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 56,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JojoPark7/pseuds/JojoPark7
Summary: When Penelope's dog decides its a good idea to dig a hole under her neighbor's fence, Josie's a little shocked to find not one, but two dogs sleeping on her couch. Josie brings Penelope's dog back and finds out her neighbor is the new AP English teacher at the same school she and her sister, Lizzie, work at.This is my first fic in YEARSSSSS and also my first fic for Legacies, so please don't be afraid to comment and give me suggestions.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 262
Kudos: 863





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've been bored as hell during this whole social distancing thing, so I figured I'd write a Posie fic. I used to write fanfics for Victorious when I was like 12... so it's been a while! I don't really have a schedule for this story since I'm also in the process of writing a book and taking my college classes online now, but I promise to update as often as I can if you guys like it.
> 
> Enjoy!

The weather in Mystic Falls, Virginia was known to be pleasant. Warm to hot summers, but nothing unbearable. Crisp autumns with plenty of fallen leaves. Cold winters with a little bit of snowfall. And throughout the year, an average amount of rain.

Penelope had chosen the perfect week to move. Not a single drop of water had fallen from the sky when she unpacked her car and helped the movers bring boxes into her new home. It had been a warm summer day at the end of August, a few white clouds scattered across the sky and a light breeze keeping the temperature at bay.

She had been here for about a week now. Finally unpacking the last of the remaining boxes this morning, and now settling down on her couch with a cup of tea. Her dog, Homer, was out in the backyard, sniffing and searching around his new territory. The large, fenced-in backyard was one of the main reasons Penelope decided to buy this house. She had gotten Homer when she lived in the city and needed a companion. She didn’t realize it then, but having a new puppy in a small one-bedroom apartment was not the smartest decision she had ever made. So, when a new teaching position opened up in Mystic Falls and she was offered the job, she knew not to make the same mistake again. Homer deserved to have as much room to play as Penelope could possibly afford, and so, she bought a house with the biggest back yard she could find.

Penelope’s time to relax was cut short when she heard Homer barking up a storm from the open window in her kitchen. She got up off the couch and made her way towards the sliding glass door next to the kitchen table.

“Homer!” She yelled, trying to get his attention. The bluenose pitbull turned to her and tilted his head in confusion. She waved him over and being the well-trained dog he was, he started prancing up the deck stairs towards her with a silly grin on his face, “What’s going on? What are you doing buddy?”

Homer sat down in front of her, looking proud and panting out happiness. Penelope bent down and ran her hand over the top of his head and between his floppy ears. Homer nuzzled into her palm before giving it a wet lick and running back down the deck stairs. Penelope stood with a smile, watching Homer run around the yard and gnaw on whatever stick he could find. She shook her head in amusement and turned to go back to her previous position on the couch.

Within moments of sitting down, Penelope was back up and at the back door when she heard two sets of barking this time. She slid the door open and watched as Homer stood by the fence separating her yard from her neighbor’s to the right. Homer’s front paws were up on the side of the fence, his tail wagging like crazy behind him as he let out a string of happy howls. 

“So that’s what’s going on,” Penelope whispered to herself, “Homer’s got himself a new friend,” She chuckled.

She watched for a few more moments, glad that Homer was getting some sort of interaction after a year of being cooped up with just his mom. She made a mental note to see if there was a pit bull friendly dog park anywhere near them and to find a day to bring him out to it.

Just as she was about to turn around and go back inside, she heard another voice call out, “Odey! Stop annoying our new neighbor!”

Despite the fact that the words seemed to scold the dog, the girl’s voice that yelled them was soft and sweet and she laughed after saying them. Penelope couldn’t see the woman who was standing beyond the fence, but the sweet laugh intrigued her. Penelope added to the mental note that she made before, to also introduce herself to the woman who lived next door.

It was nearing 5 o’clock in the evening and Penelope was starting to get hungry after her long day of unpacking. So, she turned around and went back inside to prepare something to eat. She would call Homer in once she had his dinner made, giving him a little extra time outside.

Penelope pulled out a box of pasta from her newly organized pantry and two jars of canned crushed tomatoes. Next, she took out the package of ground sausage that she had bought the previous day and some onions and garlic. She grabbed a cutting board from one of the cabinets and a sharp knife and got to work on chopping the onions and mincing the garlic. Once in the pan and browned slightly, she threw in the package of ground sausage and let it all blend together. She added the crushed tomatoes and some different Italian seasonings and set the stove to simmer while her pasta boiled in a different pot.

Waiting for her own food to finish, Penelope got to work on Homer’s dinner which was just a combination of dry and wet dog food. She placed his bowl on the floor by his water dish and walked back over to the stove to strain her pasta. Once that was done, she opened up the back door to let Homer in for dinner.

“Homer!” Penelope yelled, “It’s dinner time bud!”

Penelope waited a moment, waited to see Homer come prancing up the steps as he did earlier, but he never did.

“Homer?” Penelope said again, stepping onto her back deck and looking around the yard.

Before she had the chance to walk down the deck stairs, her doorbell rang and a familiar bank sounded from the front of her house. Penelope hurried back into the house and over to the front door.

As soon as she opened it, she was met with a wide smiling brunette and anxiously waiting dog.

“I think you lost something,” The brunette grinned as she looked down at Homer. He had a leash attached to his collar, which Penelope followed up to the woman’s wrist.

“I am so sorry!” Penelope apologized and bent down to unhook the lease from Homer’s collar. Homer ran past her and into the kitchen to eat his dinner, “How did he even get into your yard?”

“I think he dug a hole under the fence,” The woman laughed, “I was walking out of the bathroom after my shower and there were two dogs on my couch instead of one. I guess he followed my dog in through the dog door.”

“Seriously, I am so sorry,” Penelope repeated, “I’ll make sure it never happens again. He didn’t destroy anything right? And your dog is okay?”

“Oh no,” The brunette reassured, “He was an angel. He was just chilling on the couch cuddled up with Odey. It was really cute actually.”

“Well, I’m happy he made a friend, but definitely embarrassed by his behavior. He’s not used to being allowed to roam free. We used to live in an apartment building, so the whole big back yard thing is new to him,” Penelope explained, looking back to find Homer at her side once again. Realizing she still didn’t know her neighbor’s name, Penelope extended her hand out and said, “My name’s Penelope by the way. It’s nice to finally meet you!”

“Josie,” The brunette smiled and shook Penelope’s hand lightly. She looked down at the grinning dog next to Penelope’s leg, “And this little guy? What’s his name?”

“This is Homer,” Penelope explained, “The trouble maker,” She laughed.

“Homer?” Josie repeated, “After the cartoon or the author?” She questioned.

“The author,” Penelope told her, “I guess you can say I’m a classic literature fan,” She chuckled with slight embarrassment.

“Hey, no judgment here,” Josie smiled, “My dog’s name is Odysseus. I call him Odey for short. The Illiad and the Odyssey are two of my favorite books.”

The slight embarrassment that Penelope felt about being a book nerd vanished and all that was left was a bright smile, “I know we just met, but have you eaten dinner yet? I made a big batch of meat sauce and some pasta. Do you want to join me?” Penelope asked.

“Really?” Josie questioned with a smile.

“Yeah,” Penelope assured, “Come in.”

Penelope stepped aside to let Josie in the front door. As soon as Josie was over the threshold, Homer was attached to her leg, nuzzling into her.

“He seems to like you,” Penelope pointed out.

“That’s probably because I gave him a treat before bringing him back over here,” Josie explained, “I didn’t want to scare him by leashing him up. I figured I treat might help frow some trust.”

“Well it definitely seems to have worked,” Penelope laughed, “The kitchen’s this way,” She instructed. Josie followed Penelope into the kitchen, Homer never leaving Josie’s side. He even sat at Josie’s feet when Penelope offered her a chair at the table.

Penelope walked back to the stove and plated up two dishes of pasta, pouring some of her homemade meat sauce over it. She grabbed some forks along with the plates and put one in front of Josie and one at the empty seat across from the brunette.

“What do you want to drink?” Penelope asked, “I have water, beer, wine, and orange juice. But I don’t think orange juice would taste very good with this.”

“Whatever you’re having is fine,” Josie responded.

Penelope walked over to the small wine rack she had in the back corner of her kitchen and pulled out a bottle, “Is a dry red good with you?”

“Yeah,” With Josie’s confirmation, Penelope twisted out the cork with a corkscrew and poured them each a glass in the new stemless red wine glasses that she had gotten from her mother as a moving gift. She handed one to Josie as she took her own seat. Penelope watched as the taller girl took her first bite, hoping that her homemade sauce came out well, “Did you make this?”

“Yeah,” Penelope replied, “Is it good?”

“It’s incredible!” Josie told her. Penelope let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding and then tried her own food. Josie was right, the sauce came out really well and Penelope was relieved that she didn’t feed her new neighbor, and possibly new friend, something disgusting.

As they ate, both women enjoyed some small talk together. Josie had asked how moving had gone and Penelope explained that it took her a full week to unpack everything and make it feel like home. Penelope had asked how long Josie had lived in the area and Josie explained that she had been her since she was a kid. Her parents lived in town and she grew up going to the local school. When she graduated from college, she didn’t want to be anywhere but her home town, so she moved back and got her own place.

“So what made you decided to move to Mystic Falls?” Josie asked after she finished swallowing her last mouthful.

Penelope took a sip of wine to clear her throat, “I just got a job here actually. A teaching position at the high school.”

“You’re the new AP English teacher?” Josie questioned, completely surprised by how small the world can be sometimes.

“I guess I am,” Penelope laughed.

“I teach 11th-grade honors English,” Josie explained, “So, you’re about to get a good chunk of my kids from last year!”

“It’s a small world, huh?” Penelope laughed, “How are they? The kids? Is there anyone I have to worry about?” Penelope asked. She doubted there would be. Most kids who decided to take AP English were part of the good group. In the last school that she taught in, she had mostly good kids. There was only one that gave her a problem at the beginning of the year, but they had worked it out and by the end of the year, she had been his favorite teacher.

“I don’t think so,” Josie thought for a moment and then said, “Megan can be a little snippy sometimes, but she’s a good kid. As long as you don’t let her bully you, she’ll quickly come to respect you. I didn’t put up with her shit and then one day she came to me and said “Miss Saltzman, you’re firey sometimes. I like it” and that was that. She never gave me a problem again.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to handle her,” Penelope laughed.

“You will. Don’t worry,” Josie agreed, “And I’ve heard the AP reading curriculum this year is really cool. Some of the kids who wanted to move up this year were talking about it. I’m a little jealous, actually.” Josie explained.

“Well, you’re welcome to come over here any time you want and discuss all of the  _ cool  _ books that I’m going to get to teach,” Penelope teased as she got up to take the dirty dishes to the sink.

“Can I help you with anything?” Josie asked, standing to meet Penelope by the sink.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to,” Penelope told the taller girl.

“I want to,” Josie chuckled, “You wash and I’ll dry,” she said grabbing the dishtowel next to the sink.

They stood side by side as Penelope washed each dish and Josie dried them. Once the dished were all done and Josie helped Penelope to put them away, Josie explained that she should be getting back to Odey.

“If I don’t see you soon, good luck on your first day!” Josie told Penelope as she walked her to the door, “If you need anything, I’m normally in my room an hour before classes start. I’m just down the hall from you. Room 213.”

“Maybe I’ll pop by even if I don’t need anything,” Penelope smiled, “You know, just to say hi.”

“Maybe you should,” Josie smiled back before walking off the front porch, “I’ll see you around Pen,” She shouted and waved as she crosses over into her own front yard.

Penelope had never been given a nickname, it was always Penelope or Miss Park, but hearing “Pen” roll off of Josie’s tongue as easily as it did, made her smile. She could get used to seeing Josie around, hearing Josie call her Pen, getting to know the taller girl a little bit better. She looked forward to it actually.

Penelope walked back into her own house once she saw Josie get safely inside of her’s. She closed the door behind her and plopped down onto her couch. Homer ran up to her, lept onto the couch and curled into her side as soon as she was comfortable.

“You know, I’m not very happy about you ambushing our new neighbor like that. Not cool, dude,” Penelope scolded her dog, “But, I’m also kind of glad you did because now we both have a new friend,” Penelope explained and scratched Homer behind the ear.

Homer curled deeper into Penelope’s lap and let out a content sigh when she turned her TV on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update because I got excited and wrote more instead of doing homework

Penelope hadn’t seen Josie again that week. She had been busy finishing her lesson plans and rereading some of the books she was going to be teaching this year. She had gone to the school and met with the principal one more time to get a full tour and to have any other questions she may have had, answered. She spent a good amount of time in her classroom, preparing it for the new school year. She always believed that a classroom should feel like home because that allowed students to feel comfortable.

Her first day had arrived quickly and Penelope was growing more and more nervous with every passing second. She woke up two hours before her homeroom would begin, showered, and picked out a nice outfit. She made herself a cup of tea and sat on the couch with Homer for a few minutes. 

Homer was always good at picking up on Penelope’s feelings. He climbed onto her lap and rubbed his nose against her neck in a loving manner. Penelope held him to her chest in a tight hug, feeling the tension in her neck and shoulder release slowly.

“Thanks, buddy,” Penelope whispered to him, “I’m going to be a little late tonight because I have a meeting after school. But I’ll be home in time for dinner, okay?” She continued. Homer’s ears fell back and his happy, open-mouth grin closed into an upset expression. 

Penelope knew that talking to her dog may have seemed a little odd to other people, but Homer was her best friend and basically her child. She never understood people who didn’t talk to their dogs. They were living creatures, they were great listeners, and they had such expressive emotions. Sometimes she wondered if Homer understood what she was saying because he always seemed to respond the right way. If she was upset, he’d cuddle into her. If she was happy, he’d jump around with her. If she was bored and just read out loud to him from a book, his ears would perk up at the exciting parts and fall backward at the sad parts.

“I have to get going,” Penelope hugging her cuddle-buddy once more, “Wish me luck!”

Homer gave her a big kiss, licking right across her cheek, and then barked loudly. Penelope couldn’t help but laugh. Homer was just something else.

She brushed off the small amount of shredded dog fur from her black dress slacks and grabbed her grey cardigan off of the back of the couch. Penelope checked Homer’s water dish one last time before grabbing her car keys and walking out the door.

The drive to the school was quick, only about 10 minutes. When she pulled into her designated parking spot and turned off the ignition, Penelope let out a deep breath and made her way into the school. She scanned her teacher’s ID in the main office and made her way up the stairs to her classroom.

After dropping her bag off at her desk, Penelope went to find room 213. Her room was at the very end of the hall, to the left of a stairwell, so she turned right instead. She walked past a few rooms, noticing the numbers go down until she reached room 213.

“Knock knock,” She said, loud enough for Josie to hear through the open door.

“Hey, stranger!” Josie looked up and smiled. She stood from her desk and closed the book that was laying on it.

As Josie walked over towards Penelope who was waiting by the door, Penelope took a good look at her. The taller brunette was wearing a white short-sleeve button-up blouse and a navy pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees. Penelope had never been one to gawk at her coworkers, but Josie’s outfit and long legs were doing things to her.

“Like what you see?” Josie teased. She saw the way that Penelope was looking at her. She wasn’t offended or uncomfortable, quite the opposite actually. It wasn’t every day that a woman as gorgeous as Penelope looked at her that way.

“I’m sorry,” Penelope blushed and ducked her head away.

“It’s okay,” Josie laughed, “I know it’s pretty different from the leggings and a t-shirt that I came over in last week.”

Penelope managed to compose herself enough to look back up at Josie, “You looked good in that too. Don’t worry,” She smiled.

Josie let out a little giggle before asking, “So, are you nervous?”

Penelope thought for a moment, “I don’t know whether I’m nervous or excited, to be honest. I have that knot in my stomach but I think it’s more from anticipation than it is nerves.”

“You’re going to be fine,” Josie reassured her, “You’re kids are great. I had most of them and the ones I didn’t have myself, some of my friends here had. Just watch out for Megan. Start off strong and she won’t give you a problem.”

“Got it,” Penelope chuckled.

“Jo! Happy first day!” A blonde shouted as she came walking in unannounced. Penelope stood next to Josie, not sure whether to introduce herself now or wait until the blonde was done talking to Josie.

“Lizzie!” Josie smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the slightly taller blonde. When she pulled back, Josie turned towards Penelope, “Liz, this is Penelope Park, the new AP English teacher.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lizzie said, extending her hand to be shaken, “I’ve heard great things about you from Principal Vardemus. You had quite a good reputation at your last school from what I’ve heard.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Penelope responded, “What do you teach here?”

“I’m over in the history wing. I teach freshman year world history,” Lizzie explained. She seemed to be a very positive person from what Penelope could tell. The smile on her face hadn’t once faltered and she radiated a good kind of energy.

Josie added, “Lizzie’s love of history is what made me fall in love with the Iliad and the Odyssey. And in turn, fall in love with all different types of classic literature.”

“Sisters?” Penelope asked as she looked between the two girls.

“Twins, actually,” Josie explained.

“Fraternal,” Lizzie clarified when she noticed the confusion on Penelope’s face, “I obviously got the better genes.”

Josie rolled her eyes at her sister’s joke. A part of her believed it was true. She had always been envious of Lizzie’s long and perfect blonde hair and her light eyes. Her sister had gotten all of the attention while they were in high school. Josie had been the one to sit in the background and wish that she was the “pretty” one.

Penelope saw the upset look on Josie’s face and wanted to see her smiling again. Not caring if it was a step too far, Penelope said, “Maybe, but I’ve always had more of a thing for brunettes.”

Josie’s eyes shot up to look at Penelope, “Is that so?” She asked with a grin.

“Well, you two seem rather… comfortable with each other,” Lizzie smirked. The grin that her sister was giving Penelope was not very innocent and Lizzie couldn’t help but wonder if they had met before today.

“She’s my neighbor,” Josie laughed, “I met her last week when her dog wound up in my house.”

“Do I really want to know?” Lizzie asked, somewhat curious about the situation, but also not wanting to interfere with her sister’s flirt fest any longer.

“It’s nothing bad. He just dug a hole under the fence and followed Odey inside,” Josie explained, “I brought him back, and then we had dinner together.”

“Gotcha,” Lizzie chuckled, “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I just wanted to wish you good luck. I’m going to go find my wife now and do the same,” Lizzie finished with a wave and left Josie’s classroom quickly.

“Lizzie’s married to one of the science teachers here. You’ll meet Hope at the meeting after school,” Josie explained to Penelope.

“Did they meet here?” Penelope asked.

“They did,” Josie said, “I think it was our second year here that Hope came in. She and Lizzie bumped into each other, quite literally, near the main office and the rest is history. They got married last year.”

“That’s amazing,” Penelope smiled. It was quite a cute love story.

“Yeah, they’re really cute,” Josie agreed, “Sometimes too cute, though. It can get a little gross to see your sister always making out with one of your friends.”

Penelope nodded with a smile, “Well, I should get going too. I need to readjust my desk 100 times before the kids start coming in.”

“Don’t be nervous!” Josie said, resting a hand on Penelope’s shoulder, “I know first days are scary, but I promise you, you’re going to love it here.”

Penelope gave Josie a small smile and made her way towards the door. Just as she was about to walk out, she turned back around, “Hey, Josie?”

“Yeah?” Josie looked back up in acknowledgment.

“Not to be rude to your sister or anything, but I think you were the one that got the good genes,” Penelope said before turning and walking back to her classroom. She didn’t catch the bright smile that overtook Josie’s face or the deep blush that filled her cheeks.

Josie sat down at her desk, completely flustered by Penelope’s compliment. She noticed the little buzz in her stomach the first time she met Penelope. That little buzz came back earlier when she caught Penelope checking her out. But now, that little buzz was starting to feel more like butterflies fluttering around in her abdomen.

\--------------------------

Josie was right about a lot of things, especially that Penelope’s kids were angels. When her first few students came sulking into her room that morning, their attitudes were quickly changed when they realized that there was a new teacher in the room. Penelope had decided to have a lazy first day, knowing that the kids were not excited about summer break being over and that they wouldn’t want to rush into anything too quickly.

She had gone over what the year would look like with each of her 4 classes and had done a little icebreaker to get to know a little bit about each of her students. She had quite a few athletes who she commended for being able to keep up with sports and their advanced course load at the same time. She had some book lovers who got very excited about what they were going to be reading that year. And then she had Megan.

Josie was right about a lot of things.  _ Most _ of Penelope’s kids were angels. But also as Josie had said, Megan was not. Penelope had every student in each of her classes sit for the remaining part of the class to write a little personal essay. She didn’t care what it was about, she let them choose the topic. She said it could be structured or just stream of consciousness. All she wanted was to see where her students stood when it came to their writing abilities.

Megan was one of the first ones done. She walked up with a piece of torn-out notebook paper in her hand and slapped it down onto the open book that Penelope was reading.

“Here you go, Miss Park,” She smirked in response to the irritated look on her teacher’s face.

“Thank you, Megan. Next time, the side of the desk is fine,” Penelope said back, not backing down from the glare that Megan was sending her.

“So, I hear you and Miss Saltzman are getting along  _ really _ well,” Megan said, still standing next to Penelope’s desk, despite Penelope’s instructions to sit back down and have some free time to themselves.

“Where’d you hear that?” Penelope asked, picking up on Megan’s innuendo.

“I have my sources,” Megan explained, “It would be a shame if such a horrible rumor were to spread around the school,” Megan threatened.

“While I can’t stop a rumor about me from spreading, and I can’t change the minds of those who choose to believe it, I can sit back and laugh at those who have nothing better to do than talk about me,” Penelope said with a fake smile.

“Touche,” Megan responded with a straight face. She turned on her heels quickly and stomped back to her desk in the back of the room. A small, accomplished smile crossed Penelope’s face, but she hid it before Megan could see it.

Megan was in Penelope’s last class of the day, and Penelope couldn’t wait until it was over so Megan would stop glaring at her. She only had about 10 minutes left until the final bell rang and the kids were free to go. 

When that bell rang, Penelope wished everyone farewell and let out a deep, but content sigh once everyone was gone. Her first day was over and it went almost perfectly. She wasn’t sure how Megan would be the following day. She wasn’t sure if she had gained that respect that Josie had talked about with the younger student. All Penelope knew was that the day was over and she was going to see the brunette teacher who wouldn’t leave her mind all day.

Penelope cleaned off her desk, put her book into her bag, and turned the lights off as she left the room. She walked down the stairwell near her classroom door and made her way towards the conference room in the library. The “first day of school” meeting was only scheduled for an hour, which meant that Penelope could get home to Homer a little faster than she first thought, and that thought made Penelope smile. She wanted nothing more than to sit on her couch with a cup of tea and her dog and relax. 

When she walked into the conference room in the back of the library, Penelope’s eyes immediately landed on Josie. Josie looked up, feeling someone staring at her, and smiled wide when she saw that it was Penelope.

“Hey, Pen,” Josie greeted her. Penelope’s smile got a little wider when she heard her nickname used again, “I save you a seat next to me. I don’t need any of the creepy teachers scaring you away.”

“Thank you,” Penelope laughed and sat in the empty chair next to her friend, “How was your day?”

“Pretty good. These new kids are definitely a little more wild than last years, but I’ll whip them into shape for you,” Josie joked, “How was yours?”

“Really good. My kids are awesome. I had a really good conversation with one about The Great Gatsby. She said you taught it last year and it was one of her favorite books of all time,” Penelope explained.

“And Megan?” Josie asked, “Did she give you a hard time today?”

“Yeah, but I think I handled it well. We’ll see how it goes over the next few days,” Penelope told the taller teacher.

“Can I ask what she did?” Josie questioned.

“Well…” Penelope went silent.

“That bad?” Josie sighed.

“She threatened to start a rumor about you and me,” Penelope said softly.

“What about us?” Josie’s head tilted to the side slightly in confusion.

“I’m not actually sure. All she said was “ _ I hear you and Miss Saltzman are getting along  _ really  _ well”  _ and then something about how  _ bad _ it would be if a rumor started. I don’t really know what she was trying to get at, but I shot her down,” Penelope told Josie.

“With a good comeback, I hope,” Josie added.

“Yes, with a very good come back,” Penelope answered.

“Well, if she tries anything else, just keep pushing back. She’ll let it go soon enough,” Josie explained. Penelope smiled at Josie’s confidence in her. She knew she wasn’t going to have a problem with Megan for too long, she just hoped that by the end of the week it would all be over. Josie peeked over at the front of the room where the Principal stood. He was about to start the meeting, but Josie wanted to ask Penelope one more thing before he did, “Hey, one last thing. It’s kind of been a tradition for the last few years that a few of us meet up at my place for dinner after the first day. You’re coming. And bring Homer over for a play date with Odey, too.”

“I think he’d love that,” Penelope smiled, “What time?”

“You can come over when we get home, but everyone else will be there around 6,” Josie answered.

“Okay,” Penelope agreed, “I’ll just change really quick and grab Homer and then I’ll come over and help you make dinner.”

“Sweet!” Josie smiled and then turned her attention to Principal Vardemus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the "end of the first day" dinner!! Super excited to share more with all of you!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this while I'm stuck in class tonight!!
> 
> Hope y'all like it!!

Penelope led Homer up the steps of Josie’s front porch and told him to sit and wait while she knocked. Josie opened the door after a few moments with a big smile on her face.

“Homer!” Josie shrilled which caused Homer to pounce at her feet. Josie knelt down and gave him a full body scratch. She was nearly knocked over when a full-grown German Shepherd came running up next to her, “Odey! Are you trying to kill me!” Josie laughed and began to pet both Homer and her own jealous dog.

“You know, when you were telling me about Odey and Homer cuddling on the couch, I imagine a little Shih Tzu or a little bulldog, not a 70-pound German Shepherd,” Penelope laughed. The sound of Penelope’s voice caught Odey’s ears and he turned to look at her. It didn’t take long for him to fall at her feet and roll over onto his back.

Penelope bent down and gave the big dog the belly rub he was asking for. Odey’s back end started wiggling back and forth on the porch out of happiness and his tongue fell out of the side of his mouth while he was panting.

“Looks like he likes you just as much as Homer likes me,” Josie pointed out as she watched her dog go wild while Penelope pet him.

“Seems like our dogs are a good judge of character,” Penelope laughed.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Josie said, standing up and calling Odey away from Penelope’s feet. Homer followed the slightly bigger dog inside of the house and Penelope walked in after. Josie walked them all towards the back door and as soon as she opened it, both dogs pushed through and ran out into the yard to play.

“I have a feeling these playdates are going to have to happen more often or that hole under the fence that I filled in last week isn’t going to last very long,” Penelope laughed while watching the two dogs chase each other in circles.

“Maybe we should just put a dog door into the fence and let them hang out whenever they want,” Josie laughed along.

Penelope thought for a moment, “You know, that's actually not a bad idea.”

“Right?” Josie agreed, “Odey never had anyone to play with before and it seems like he and Homer get along really well. It might keep them both out of trouble while we’re at work,” Josie explained.

“If only we thought of this before he chewed up one of my throw pillows today,” Penelope replied, “I came home to a mess of fluff all over the living room.”

“Odey did the same thing! I don’t think he liked me going back to work after being home the whole summer,” Josie sighed, “Do you think it will help or will it just give them a buddy to start trouble with.”

“If this is what they do every day,” Penelope pointed to the two dogs running around like maniacs, “I think they’ll be too tired to cause a mess.”

“Well, I don’t mind having two dogs come in and out if you don’t,” Josie said.

“Neither do I,” Penelope smiled, “The more the merrier in my mind. I guess the next thing on my to-do list is to buy another dog door.”

“I have an electric saw that will cut through the fence,” Josie added, “We can work on it this weekend if you’re free.”

“Deal!” Penelope agreed, “But for now, let’s get to cooking.”

Josie nodded and told Penelope to follow her inside. She walked over to her fridge and started pulling various items out and handing them to Penelope. Once Penelope’s arms were full, Josie started loading up her own and shut the fridge with her hip when she was done. Penelope followed her back out onto the back deck and placed all of the items in her arms on the glass table outside.

“Do you want to grill or do you want to help make the sides?” Josie asked.

“I’ll do either,” Penelope replied.

“Well, I hate grilling so…” Josie drew out.

“Then I’ll grill,” Penelope laughed, “But why do you have a grill if you hate grilling?”

“It was a house warming present from my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love fire and I love cooking, but grilling is just boring,” Josie explained.

“Should I be worried about letting my child hang around a pyromaniac?” Penelope teased. 

“I’m not a pyro!” Josie defended herself, “Fire is just cool.”

“Mhmm,” Penelope hummed, “Whatever you say, Jojo.”

“Jojo?” Josie questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“You call me Pen,” Penelope explained, “So now you needed a nickname,” Penelope hadn’t even realized that the name had slipped from her lips. It just happened and it came out so easily that she didn’t want to correct herself. It was a cute nickname for the even cuter girl standing next to her. She just hoped Josie didn’t mind it.

“I like it!” Josie smiled, “I’ve only ever been called Josie or Jo. But Jojo has a nice ring to it. It’s different,” Josie explained. Penelope smiled at the fact that Josie liked the nickname she had given her. She liked having something to call Josie that no one else said.

“So what are our sides for tonight?” Penelope asked, changing the subject.

Josie couldn’t help but grin at Penelope’s use of the word “our”. She couldn’t explain to herself why it made her happy, but that small word made the buzzing in her stomach start up again.

“Just pasta salad and coleslaw. We’re on side dishes and the burgers and hotdogs,” Josie said, “Lizzie and Hope are bringing drinks and MG is bringing dessert.”

“Who’s MG?” Penelope asked. A part of her was worried that Josie was going to tell her that MG was her boyfriend. The other part of her didn’t understand the small amount of jealousy she was feeling with the thought. She and Josie were just friends. Nothing more.

“MG is another teacher at school,” Josie explained, “He teaches PE, health class, and driver’s ed.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Penelope replied. That little flame of jealousy in her chest was put out immediately after Josie started speaking. It was obvious by her tone and her words that MG was nothing more than a friend and a coworker. What Penelope did have to worry about were those jealous feelings and the fact that whenever she was around Josie, her heart rate increased.

Josie sat down at the glass table near the grill and got to cutting up different vegetables for the coleslaw. She shredded some carrots and cut up some red and green cabbage before adding it to a bowl. After adding some mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and pepper, she mixed it all together and covered it with tinfoil. She then started working on the pasta salad, which she had made the elbow macaroni for the previous night. While Josie worked on that, Penelope lit the grill and started on the hamburgers and hotdogs. She took the cooked hotdogs off of the grill and put them into an aluminum pan and waited until the burgers were almost finished to add the cheese on top.

Both women were finishing up their tasks around the same time, but Josie had to step away to open the door when the bell rang. Penelope stayed on the back deck, watching the cheese melt on top of the burgers as Hope and Lizzie wandered out to greet her.

“Hey, Penelope!” Lizzie smiled, still just as happy as she was that morning.

“Hi, Lizzie!” Penelope replied with a wave, “And Hope, I’d assume?”

“Yes,” Hope greeted, “It’s nice to meet you! Lizzie was telling me all about you this morning.”

“All good things, I would hope,” Penelope laughed.

“Yes. Don’t worry,” Hope reassured her. Lizzie had her arm around Hope’s waist and Penelope thought back to what Josie had said earlier that day. They were cute together. Very cute. Lizzie looked at Hope as if she were her whole world and Penelope was beginning to think that was why Lizzie was always so happy and smiley. Because she had met the love of her life and got to spend all of her time with Hopy by her side.

“Although, I am a little offended that you hit on my sister and not me,” Lizzie teased. She quickly looked behind her to make sure Josie didn’t hear her words.

“Lizzie, you’re married. I’m not going to hit on you,” Penelope reasoned.

“I like her,” Hope told Lizzie with a big laugh.

“And I didn’t hit on your sister,” Penelope explained, “I just admitted that I prefer brunettes to blondes.”

“Mhmm,” Lizzie hummed and gave Hope a knowing look. Hope smirked back at her wife as if she knew exactly what Lizzie was thinking. Penelope shook her head at their antics as she took the cheeseburgers off of the grill and put them into the tin pan next to the hotdogs.

“Guys! MG is here!” They all heard Josie shout from inside. Homer and Odey stopped running around the yard and looked up as if they finally realized more people were here. The two dogs bolted for the back deck, leaping up the stairs and towards the new company. MG made it out just in time to be bombarded with two rather large dogs who wanted nothing more than to be pet.

“Hey, guys!” MG greeted as he got down on his knees to let the two dogs kiss him freely, “Who’s this one?” MG asked, looking over at the three girls.

Josie came walking out the back door and said, “Are you talking about Penelope or Homer?”

“Homer,” MG answered, “I’d never call a pretty girl like that, “this one”,” MG winked as he looked up from the ground at Penelope.

“Back off, MG,” Lizzie warned, “She’s Josie’s.”

Penelope laughed at Lizzie’s comment and Josie huffed out a “That’s not true”. MG stood up from the ground and gave the dogs one more pat on the back each.

He then walked over to Penelope and said, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Lizzie wouldn’t shut up about you in the teacher’s lounge today.”

“Lizzie, I’m starting to think you’re the one in love with me,” Penelope teased, “You’ve been talking about me to everyone all day!”

“Nah, Lizzie just loves to gossip,” Josie explained, stepping up to stand next to Penelope, “Having a new teacher in the school just gives her more to talk about.”

“It’s true,” Lizzie agreed, “You were the talk of the whole school today. Everyone wants to meet you. I managed to put in a few good words on your behalf.”

“Well, I appreciate that,” Penelope smiled. She turned to Josie and asked, “Jojo, I’m done with the grill. Do you want these on the table?”

Lizzie looked over at Hope and mouthed “Jojo?”. Hope just shrugged her shoulders and looked over to MG. MG didn’t seem to notice what Lizzie and Hope heard, he was more interested in the food piling up on the table.

“Yeah. I’ll go grab the buns,” Josie replied.

Penelope walked the tin of meat over to the glass table and put it in the center. She arranged the side dishes so that they would be accessible to everyone sitting down and then turned back to the group. Lizzie, Hope, and MG were all looking at her.

“What?” Penelope asked, confused as to why she was the center of attention all of the sudden.

“Oh, nothing,” Hope said in a sing-song voice.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Lizzie asked, changing the subject, “Hope and I brought beer.”

“Yeah, I’ll take one,” Penelope said, “Thank you.”

Lizzie walked off, leaving Hope, MG, and Penelope to sit down at the deck table. She walked inside and towards the fridge to get a round of beers for everyone. Josie was putting some buns on a plate for a better presentation than a plastic bag.

“Jojo? What was that about?” Lizzie whispered, startling her sister slightly.

“You scared me, Liz,” Josie slapped her hand over her chest, “And what do you mean?”

“Penelope called you Jojo,” Lizzie stated, “I thought you hated nicknames?”

“I used to. But only because in high school all I was known as was “Lizzi’s sister, “blondies sister”, or “nerd”,” Josie explained with a sigh, “Plus, Jojo is kind of a cute nickname, so who am I to argue it?”

Lizzie gave her sister a knowing look, “Is it a cute nickname or is it because a cute girl came up with it?”

“Why does everyone think I have a thing for Pen?” Josie asked in a frustrated tone, “Hope kept giving me these looks, you keep making comments, even one of Penelope’s students threatened to start a rumor about us around school!”

“So what you're saying is that everyone else sees it but you?” Lizzie laughed, “You two are completely oblivious!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Josie shot back.

“Nothing,” Lizzie sighed, “Just forget I said anything. Let’s get back out to the rest of the group,” She picked up the four beers in a grouping and walked them out to the deck table. Josie was close behind her with the buns laid out nicely on a dish, still confused by what her sister’s words meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the BBQ/end of the night up next!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the BBQ!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Posie winning the Legacies Brazil Polls, I'm updating early!! Enjoy!

“Jo, this girl has to come back every year!” MG said with his mouth full, “You always burn the burgers but this,” He pointed down to the food in his hand, “This is perfect!”

“So not only do you dislike grilling, but you’re also bad at it?” Penelope asked with a laugh. Josie shot her a look and Penelope couldn’t help but laugh at how cute Josie looked when she was trying to act mad.

“I’m not bad at it,” Josie defended herself, “I just like my burgers well done. So I only ever learned how to cook them that way.”

“I have to agree with MG on this one, Jo,” Lizzie said and Hope nodded along, “The burgers last year were literally black and charred.”

“If you guys hate it so much, why do we keep doing it at my house?” Josie asked, slightly offended by everyone ganging up on her. 

“You’ve got a cute dog and a bigger yard than the rest of us,” Hope said easily.

“Well, don’t worry,” Penelope added, “I’ll be back next year to help Josie out. I’ll even teach her how to grill the right way so that she can impress you guys next year,” Penelope finished with a smile directed towards Josie.

“Yeah, next year, you guys won't even know what hit you,” Josie agreed. Everyone laughed in response, not at Josie but just out of good nature.

“So, Penelope,” MG said, turning the attention away from Josie, “Where did you teach before this?”

“I was at a private school in New York City,” Penelope responded.

“Which one?” Hope asked.

“Dalton,” Penelope answered, not expecting everyone to be so surprised by her answer.

“Pen, The Dalton School is in the top 10 schools on the east coast,” Josie said, completely shocked.

“Yeah, why would you ever leave?” Lizzie asked, “You were probably making A LOT more than you are here.”

“It’s really expensive to live in the city, so even though the paycheck was higher, it was all going towards rent,” Penelope explained, “Plus, I’ve never been a city girl. I stayed for a few years but over time, it got to be too much. I wanted to move somewhere a little calmer and a lot quieter.”

“So, you must have gotten that job right out of college,” MG pointed out.

“I did,” Penelope responded, “It was actually because of the school that I went to, that I got the job. Basically, if taught there for two years and my Master’s degree with their affiliated college was discounted. So I took night classes while teaching, and got my masters. Then I was bumped up to a “full time” teacher of sorts when I graduated. It was a great experience and it saved me a lot of money, but it wasn’t enough to keep me in the city.”

“What’s your Master’s in?” Josie asked. She was seriously impressed with everything Penelope was telling them. The shorter girl wasn’t being cocky at all about her achievements. She was being rather humble for someone who worked full time and got their master’s degree simultaneously. And if Josie wasn’t mistaken, the university affiliated with Dalton was Columbia University, a prestigious Ivy League University.

“English and Comparative Literature,” Penelope answered again. She didn’t really understand why everyone was so dumbfounded by her answers. She knew that she had gone to a really good university and she knew that she worked at an amazing private school, but it wasn’t at all easy and filled with glory. She worked her ass off and got rewarded for her hard work. Really she was just lucky.

“Damn girl!” MG shouted. Penelope just gave him a sheepish smile.

Josie noticed the self-conscious look on Penelope’s face, which only solidified her thoughts on Penelope being humble. So, she decided to speak up and take some of the attention off of her new friend, “Is everyone done? I can start taking plates to the garbage.”

Everyone nodded and started handing their paper plates to Josie. Penelope took this as a chance to get away from the questions and began helping Josie to clear the table. While Josie stacked the plates and collected the plastic utensils, Penelope started gathering the condiments and the side dishes.

“You guys can chill out here while we put this stuff away and I’ll bring out the cookies and ice cream that MG brought,” Josie explained. She smiled at Penelope and nodded her head towards the house to tell her to follow. Homer and Odey, who were laying down under the deck table, got up and followed their mom’s inside, hoping for scraps.

Once inside, Penelope started putting the condiments back into the refrigerator as Josie gave each of the dogs some of the leftover meat scraps.

“Homer is such a well-trained dog,” Josie commented as she handed him a piece of hotdog. He leaned in slowly and took it carefully from her fingers, “Every time I try to give something to Odey, he nearly takes my hand off.”

Penelope turned to watch Josie feed her own dog, who wrapped his whole mouth around Josie’s hand in order to get the meat. Penelope laughed when Josie had to wipe the dog spit off of her hand.

“Next time you give it to him, when you see him going to take off your hand, pull it back. Wait until he’s calmed down and try again. Over time, he’ll realize that he isn’t going to get the treat unless he’s gentle about it,” Penelope explained. She walked over next to Josie and ripped off another piece of the hotdog and extended it to Odey. When Odey lunged forward for the meat, Penelope pulled it back towards her shoulder and out of Odey’s reach. She did this two more times until Odey was sitting and waiting. She handed the piece to him and he gently took it into his mouth with just his tongue and upper lip, “See?”

“You’re a witch!” Josie exclaimed, “How did you do that?”

“I told you,” Penelope laughed, “Just make him wait, and he’ll understand. Give it a try.”

Josie took another piece of the hot dog and did exactly what Penelope did when feeding Odey. It only took Odey one extra try this time to gently take it from his mom’s hand.

“Holy shit!” Josie laughed along with Penelope after watching Odey be so well behaved. Penelope broke off one more piece and gave it to Homer for being so good and watching his dog friend instead of trying to steal the meat himself.

Penelope threw the plastic utensils and the paper plates away while Josie wrapped up the remaining meat and put away the side dishes. When she turned, Penelope was resting against the counter waiting for her to finish.

“So, while we’re away from everyone else,” Josie started, “You went to Columbia?”

“How did you figure that out?” Penelope asked.

“I went to NYU. I’m familiar with a lot of the schools in New York and I knew that the university affiliated with Dalton was Columbia,” Josie explained, “Why did you seem so embarrassed about your accomplishments?”

“It’s not that I’m embarrassed by them,” Penelope sighed, “It’s just that when everyone finds that I went to an Ivy League school they assume I’m some sort of rich kid who got in because her parents had influence. And that wasn’t the case at all. I worked my ass off and was offered some really great opportunities because of it. I don’t really talk about it because too many people assume instead of asking questions.”

“I understand that,” Josie explained, “But just so you know, no one here is going to make any assumptions. Especially not me,” Josie gave the shorter girl a soft smile, “You should be proud of your accomplishments, not hide from them.”

“Thanks, Jojo,” Penelope smiled back.

“Now, let’s get back outside before Lizzie comes in accusing us of being  _ too friendly _ ,” Josie laughed and went to the freezer to get MG’s ice cream.

“Yeah, what was with that comment to MG earlier?” Penelope asked, grabbing the cookies, “About you being mine?”

Josie blushed slightly at the thought but pushed it away quickly. Of course, Josie found Penelope attractive, everyone who looked at her would. She was a gorgeous woman, but she was just Josie’s friend and coworker. Josie couldn’t understand where all of Lizzie’s comments and looks were coming from. She and Penelope were just friendly. Sure, maybe there were a few flirty comments here and there, but friends flirt. Or at least Josie thought so. But then there was that little buzz in Josie’s stomach whenever Penelope was around, and what Josie thought might have been butterflies from earlier that morning. But that wasn’t something Josie wanted to think about, so she answered Penelope with a simple, “I have no idea.”

Penelope shrugged in response and followed Josie back out onto the deck. Homer and Odey decided to go take a nap on the couch instead of heading back outside. Penelope smiled at the fact that the two were getting along so well, and the fact that Homer would be so tired tonight that he wouldn’t keep her up very long.

It was nearly 8 o’clock and the sun had already set. Josie’s back deck lights had turned on, illuminating the glass table and its occupants in soft light. Josie and Penelope placed the desert items onto the table and then took their seats next to each other again. Everyone began to serve themselves. MG made an ice cream sandwich out of the cookies and vanilla ice cream. Hope and Lizzie split a bowl of ice cream and were feeding each other, like a disgustingly cute couple. Penelope stuck with just the cookies because as much as she liked ice cream, she never did well with mixing beer and dairy. Josie had a little bit of both, crumbling a cookie on top of her mound of ice cream as a make-shift topping.

They all shared stories from their first day until about 9 o’clock. Penelope left out her encounter with Megan because she didn’t want to give Lizzie any more ammunition about her and Josie’s relationship. But she found the rest of the night to be rather enjoyable. Penelope was really getting along well with her coworkers and was very grateful for Josie inviting her over and introducing her. In the city, she didn’t have many friends. It was just her and Homer, school and work. She got along with her coworkers, but she never spent any time with them outside of Dalton. So this was a nice change for her.

“I think it’s time we all head out,” Lizzie sighed, “It’s a school night and I’m not used to waking up at 6 am anymore.”

“She’s right,” MG agreed, “It took me an extra 20 minutes to get myself out of bed this morning. Plus, I have a 20-minute drive home, so I’m going to get going.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure Homer is exhausted after running around all day,” Penelope added.

“Well, thank you all for coming. This was fun,” Josie smiled, “Another first day down and a new friend to add to it!”

“Yeah, it was really great to get to know you a bit more, Penelope,” Hope said as they all started walking inside, “You should come when we all go out for drinks next!”

“I’m down,” Penelope laughed, “It sounds like fun!”

As MG, Lizzie, and Hope all walked out the front door, Penelope and Josie gave them a wave goodbye. Once they were all in their cars, Penelope walked back towards the deck and started cleaning up the dessert plates and the remaining ice cream and cookies. Josie started on the few dishes that were actually used since they all ate off paper products. When Penelope came back inside, she dumped the arm full of garbage in Josie’s garbage can and put the rest of the ice cream into the freezer.

“Where do you want the cookies?” Penelope asked.

“Just leave them on the counter,” Josie instructed as she dried the last dish, “You didn’t have to stay and help, you know?”

“I wanted to,” Penelope explained, “Just a little thank you for inviting me into your group and introducing me to your friends.”

“They’re your friends now too,” Josie responded, “I know it can be hard moving and meeting people. But now you have all of us. And I promise you, you are great friends to have.

Penelope didn’t reply, she just gave Josie a soft smile and waited until she was done putting the dishes away.

“I’ll walk you back,” Josie said. Penelope agreed and went to get Homer’s leash off of the table by the front door.

“Come on buddy, it’s time for bed,” Penelope whispered as she leaned over Homer and put him until he was awake. Homer was so tired that he slept through everyone else leaving, and Penelope wasn’t surprised by that with the amount of energy he got out earlier. Odey woke up when Homer jumped off of Josie’s couch. He looked up at his new friend and let out a small whine because he knew Homer was leaving.

“It’s okay,” Josie chuckled, “He’ll be back soon,” She told her own dog.

“We’ll see you later, Odey,” Penelope smiled and pet the German Shepherd on the head. She clipped Homer’s leash onto his collar and began walking to the door. Josie was right behind her and shut the door softly as they left. They walked side by side in silence across their front lawns until they reached Penelope’s door. 

Penelope unlocked the door, unhooked Homer’s leash, and said, “Go get in bed, buddy. I’ll be right there,” With that, Homer trotted inside of the house and towards Penelope’s room. She knew that when she met him inside, he would be sprawled out across her side of the bed, but that was a nightly thing that she had gotten used to.

“So…” Josie said softly as she watched Homer run into the house.

“So,” Penelope repeated, also unsure of how to end their night. She had had fun spending time with Josie, spending time with Josie’s friends, and just adapting to her new life in Mystic Falls.

“Well, I guess you should head to bed,” Josie sighed.

“I guess I should,” Penelope responded but didn’t move from her spot across from Josie.

“Stop by my room again tomorrow morning?” Josie asked.

“Of course,” Penelope smiled back. She didn’t want Josie to leave, she wanted to invite her in. She wanted to continue whatever it was that they were doing. She just wanted to be around Josie and she didn’t care how or what they would be doing. Just being around the taller girl melted away the tension in Penelope’s body. It made her happy. It made her feel a sense of connection that she had never had before.

“Okay. Goodnight,” Josie breathed out. Josie leaned towards Penelope and placed a soft kiss on the shorter girl’s cheek and then she left. Penelope watched her walk back to her own door and waited until she got inside. As soon as Josie did, Penelope’s hand shot up to the cheek that Josie had kissed, and she let her fingers run over the spot. Josie had walked away over a minute ago, but Penelope could still feel her touch, still feel the heat from her lips on her cheek.

A small smile crept onto Penelope’s face while her heart continued to flutter. There was something about Josie that always seemed to make her feel that way. They had only known each other for a week now, but every time that the thought of Josie took over her mind, Penelope couldn’t deny the growing attraction to the taller girl. And it only got worse when Penelope was actually with her. 

She hadn’t really thought about those feelings until today, until that very moment. After Lizzie’s comment about Penelope hitting on Josie and about Penelope being Josie’s and not MG’s to flirt with, the thoughts started racing through Penelope’s head. The little stomach flutters and Lizzie’s comments forced Penelope to realize that she may actually be crushing on her neighbor.

This kind of thing would normally have kept Penelope up all night. Kept her thinking and processing and trying to push away the feeling like she normally did. But instead, Penelope got ready for bed and climbed in next to Homer with ease. The moment her head hit her pillow, thoughts of herself and Josie being more than just friends at some point, pushed a smile onto her face and she fell asleep in no time.

What Penelope would realize in the morning, was that Josie had been the center of her dreams all night. What she wouldn't know is that Josie had similar dreams and couldn't wait to see Penelope again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to school in the next chapter and I had a lot of fun writing this next one! I'll update soon, but I have 2 finals to take next week, so... no promises on when it will come out!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the classroom! Enjoy!

When Penelope got to school that morning, she dropped her things in her room and made her way to Josie’s classroom. The taller girl had occupied her dreams all night and all Penelope could think of was seeing Josie’s smile again. Penelope was only a little over an hour early to school, mainly because she wanted to see Josie before classes started, but also because she had a bit of reading to do before her first class. 

Penelope walked up to Josie’s door and saw that it was not only shut, but the light inside was off. She let out a sigh and turned back around to go to her own classroom. She figured she’d check again in a little while and get her reading done first.

Pulling out  _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ , Penelope spent the next 15 minutes finishing the book for her 4th time. Just as she closed the book, Penelope heard a soft knock on her door.

“Come in!” She yelled loud enough for whoever was behind it, to hear.

Josie peaked her head in, “You busy?”

“I’m never too busy for you,” Penelope winked. She was feeling bold after all of her realizations last night. She figured a little extra flirting wouldn’t hurt anyone and it might just help her figure out if Josie felt the same.

“Be careful of what you say or else you won't be able to get rid of me,” Josie said back with a bright smile. She walked over to the side of Penelope’s desk, Penelope spinning in her chair to face the taller girl, “I got you something.”

Penelope took the cup that Josie was holding out for her, “What’s this?”

“Just a cup of tea,” Josie explained, “When I was drying the dishes the other night at your place, I noticed your rather large tea collection,” Josie laughed.

Penelope took a sip of the hot tea and let out a soft moan when she tasted it, “Perfect. Just perfect,” She told Josie, “Thank you.”

“So, you're starting with  _ To Kill a Mockingbird _ , huh?” Josie said, picking up Penelope’s book from her desk. She flipped it over in her hands, smiling as she read over the back, “I’ve probably read this book about 5 times.”

“I just finished it for my fourth,” Penelope told her, “Why don’t you pull over a chair?”

Josie turned around and grabbed one of the chairs from the nearest round table and slid it closer towards her coworker. As she took a seat, she said: “Why this one first?”

Penelope watched as Josie crossed one leg over the other, closing the small gap that came with sitting down while wearing a skirt, “The kids picked it, actually. I gave them the option between this,  _ Jane Eyre,  _ and  _ A Tale of Two Cities _ . They all agreed to start the year off on a shorter book,” Penelope explained as she let her eyes travel back up to Josie’s face.

Josie caught the way that Penelope had looked at her, smiling a knowing grin when the short girl finally met her eyes, “I think it’s a good book to start on too. The language is a lot easier than the Victorian language in the other two. Though, I think they’ll all enjoy the dark, psychological nature of Bronte’s writing.”

“I agree,” Penelope nodded, “Plus, there will be plenty of comparisons between the two. I mean, despite being written over 100 years apart, the ideas of class and society, themes of childhood and maturing, and even just from a compositional point of view, both being written in the first person, there is plenty to discuss,” Penelope couldn’t help but smile as Josie nodded along enthusiastically.

Their conversation continued until the first bell rang. Penelope’s heart was bursting with joy at the fact that she and Josie could nerd out over literature together. Penelope’s old coworkers in New York were boring and so straight-laced. They never liked how young she was and they never believed she knew what she was talking about. Now, with Josie though, it was a conversation full of differing opinions and interesting comparisons, and both women were shocked by how quickly the time went by.

“Hey, Miss Saltzman!” A boy named Pedro shouted when he came walking into Penelope’s homeroom. He was one of the baseball players who got both an athletic and academic scholarship to UNC at Chapel Hill, Penelope had found out.

“Hey! What about me?” Penelope pretended to be insulted.

“You’re cool Miss Park, but I just met you yesterday. Miss S. and I go way back,” Pedro said.

“By ‘way back’, he means that I was his teacher last year,” Josie corrected him for Penelope’s sake.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Pedro asked, taking his seat in the corner of the room and taking his notebook out.

“Just talking about books with the newbie,” Josie explained and then shot Penelope a teasing smile.

“You guys would make pretty good friends,” Pedro laughed, “You’re both book nerds. Miss Park went on this like 10 minute rant yesterday about the book we’re going to be reading.

“That’s the second time you’ve picked on me today and the period hasn’t even started yet!” Penelope laughed along with him, “You’re lucky you're one of my favorites.”

“Picking favorites already, Miss Park?” Josie asked, clicking the “k” at the end of Penelope’s last name. The sound did something to Penelope. Her stomach flipped and fluttered because she had never heard her own name be said in such an attractive manner. But there was a student in the room, so she did her best to compose her features.

“Don’t worry Miss Saltzman,” Penelope stated seriously, “You’re still my favorite book nerd,” She finished, using Pedro’s words to describe the taller teacher.

“Well, I better get going. Don’t need the kids unsupervised in my room. I don’t trust them yet,” Josie explained as she stood up and put the chair back at the round table she took it from.

“I’ll see you after school,” Penelope said, also getting up and walking Josie out of the room, “And thank you for the tea.”

“No problem,” Josie smiled, “I’ll see you later, Pen,” Josie waved goodbye and walked towards her own room.

When Penelope walked back into her room, she noticed Pedro looking at her. It was a weird look, almost a suspicious look, but Penelope couldn't exactly place it.

“What?” She asked the younger student.

“Oh, nothing,” Pedro smiled and then went back about his business and doodling in his notebook.

Josie had walked down the hall and into her classroom with a big smile on her face. Being around Penelope put her in the best mood and spending the morning discussing books and flirting only made the start of her day even better.

\----------------------

Penelope's final class of the day was almost finished. There were about 15 minutes until the final bell rang and Penelope was still debating what to do with Megan. The entire period, the girl sat silently, glaring at Penelope and rolling her eyes at nearly everything the teacher said. Penelope thought that things were going to be better after she refused to let the younger students bully her with her threats, but that didn’t seem like it was the case.

“Megan, can you come to my desk for a moment? I have a question about your assignment from yesterday,” Penelope said, even though it wasn’t the truth. She didn’t want to embarrass the girl in front of the class by making it seem like she was in trouble, so she came up with a fake excuse.

Megan rolled her eyes again, but got out of her chair and approached the teacher, “What?” She asked in a dry tone when she was standing in front of Penelope’s desk.

“I don’t actually have a question,” Penelope whispered, “But I was wondering if you were able to hang back after class finishes so we can chat. If you have to catch the bus, I understand, but if you drive yourself, I would really appreciate you staying for a few minutes.”

“K,” Megan said before turning on her heels and walking back to her desk. She plopped down in the chair and leaned back. Like the previous day, Megan had been one of the first to finish her assignment, so she spent the rest of the period on her phone or giving Penelope dirty looks.

When the bell rang, and Penelope dismissed the students, Megan put together her bag but remained in the class until everyone was gone. 

“Why don’t you pull up a chair,” Penelope suggested and pointed to the closest free chair that could be pulled up to the desk.

Megan didn’t respond but did as her teacher suggested.

“I read your assignments from yesterday and today,” Penelope began, “I’ll be honest, I thought they were going to be complete shit with how quickly you turned them in. I was surprised when they weren’t,” Penelope figured being blunt with the girl was the best way to get her attention. A teacher cursing was something that rarely happened, and it definitely got Megan's attention. Penelope was able to hold the student's attention by complimenting her work after the fact.

“I’m good at writing, I guess,” Megan mumbled and crossed her arms.

“You are. And I want to help you get even better.” Penelope chuckled, “I saw how excited you got when I mentioned some of the books we were going to be reading. It was so evident that you were having trouble hiding your smile behind the glare that you were giving me. But I want nothing more than for you to fall in love with these books and be opinionated about them. To thrive in this class and pass the AP test with a 5. But I can’t do that if you and I are going to keep having a problem.”

Megan stared at her teacher for a moment, not really sure how to respond or what to do. Penelope didn’t need a response, she just needed Megan's attitude to change.

“So I’m going to make you a deal,” Penelope continued when the student didn’t talk, “No more threats, no more glares, no more snide remarks or the bitchy attitude. In return, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation for wherever colleges you’re applying to and you can help me pick the next three books that we read,” Penelope offered with a soft smile. 

Megan contemplated her options for a moment. She knew she needed letters of recommendation and she was applying for an advanced literature program at her top college so having an AP Literature teacher’s letter would really help. On top of that, there were a few books that she really wanted to read this year, and being able to influence the class selection would give her more free time to read other things on her own. 

Coming to a decision, “You have yourself a deal,” Megan said, sticking her hand out to shake her teacher’s.

“Nice doing business with you,” Penelope laughed, shaking Megan's hand. She just hoped that Megan would hold true to their deal and be a little better behaved in class.

“So…” Megan drew out, “Now that we're officially on better terms, what’s going on with you and Miss Saltzman?” Megan asked with a devilish smile.

“Nope. Not gonna happen,” Penelope laughed, “Out of my room!” She pointed towards the door in a joking manner.

“Aw come on! I was just starting to think you were one of the cool teachers!” Megan complained.

“I am a cool teacher!” Penelope defended while pretending to be insulted, “But seriously, where the hell did you hear that from?”

“If I tell you, will you tell me your side?” Megan asked.

“I’ll consider it,” Penelope responded, though she had no intention of doing such a thing.

“I got to school early that day and was walking down the English wing. I heard you flirt with her in front of Miss Saltzman’s sister, you know the other Mrs. Mikaelson. The blonde one.” Megan explained.

“So you  _ were _ the one who was going to start the rumor,” Penelope stated.

“I wasn’t actually going to say anything. I’m not that big of a bitch,” Megan told her teacher.

“Well I’m glad we have all of that cleared up,” Penelope laughed, “I have to get going and I’m sure you want to get home,” Penelope said, standing up and packing her bag.

“Weren’t you going to tell me about you and your new teacher friends?” Megan prodded some more.

“Maybe another time,” Penelope chuckled, “Now, get out of here. I have to go meet up with Miss Saltzman.”

“Have funnnn,” Megan drew out.

Penelope just shook her head while Megan left her classroom. She waited until the student was a way down the hallway before exiting her room and locking the door behind her. Penelope made her way over to Josie’s classroom and knocked on the door lightly.

“Come in!” Penelope heard Josie say through the closed door. 

“Hey!” Penelope greeted when she walked in. Josie looked up from the papers she was looking at when she heard the familiar voice.

“You’re late,” Josie laughed with a beaming smile.

“Yeah, I asked Megan to stay and talk,” Penelope explained, “I think we’re on good terms now.”

“Oh yeah?” Josie said in a surprising tone, “How’d you do that so quickly?”

“I guess I’m just better than you,” Penelope teased. Josie pointed to one of the chairs near her desk, offering for Penelope to sit with her. Once Penelope was seated next to Josie, she finished explaining, “I basically called her out on all of the shit that she’s been doing. I told her that I could tell how excited she was for the class and that her big, bad, miss popular act was only going to hold her back. So I made her a deal. If she stopped being so passive-aggressive, then I’d write her a letter of recommendation for college and I’d let her help pick out the next three books we read.”

“So you made a deal with the devil?” Josie laughed, “I’m just kidding. Megan really is a good kid. And whether or not she lets it show outside of the classroom, she really loves reading and writing. I heard from the guidance counselor that she’s trying to apply for an advanced literature program at Northwestern.”

“So that’s why she got so excited about my offer for the letter of recommendation,” Penelope chuckled.

“I think so,” Josie said, “So, she just agreed? She didn’t give you a hard time?” Josie asked.

“Not exactly,” Penelope sighed, “She’s still too interested in my love life for my liking, but I’m working on one thing at a time with her.”

“What about your love life this time?” Josie asked, her curiosity peaked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Penelope teased again. She didn’t mind telling Josie the gossip, she just didn’t want to make the taller teacher uncomfortable with the thought of them being together. Penelope didn’t mind the idea much because Josie was a very attractive woman with an even more attractive mind, but she didn’t know Josie’s thought about her, nor did she know if Josie was even gay. They would flirt lightly, but sometimes friends did that as well. Penelope didn’t want to push Josie or make Josie uncomfortable around her since they were not only coworkers but also neighbors.

“Oh come on,” Josie prodded, “Do I have some new competition or something?”

“Competition?” Penelope raised an eyebrow and watched Josie squirm in her seat.

“Oh, um, I just meant,” Josie paused momentarily to gather herself. The way that Penelope was looking at her right now ignited a fire in the pit of her stomach, “I just meant because she was asking about us yesterday.”

“Mhmm,” Penelope hummed, “Whatever you say, Jojo.”

“Stop looking at me like that,” Josie huffed.

“Why?” Penelope asked, “Am I making you flustered or something? Because that would explain the massive blush on your face right now.”

“You’re an ass,” Josie said, covering her face with her hands to hide the still growing blush.

“But to answer your question,” Penelope paused, waiting for Josie to uncover her face. When she did, Penelope continued, “There’s no competition. Plus, competing with you would be pretty hard,” Penelope winked.

“I never thought you would be such a flirt,” Josie laughed.

“I’m sorry,” Penelope ducked her head down, “I’ll stop if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Penelope had left what Megan had been asking out of her conversation to make sure Josie was comfortable around her but continued her own flirting which might not have been a good idea. It was just so hard for Penelope to keep her feelings to herself when she was around Josie. Since she met the woman, Penelope couldn’t stop thinking about her or wanting to be around her. And every time she was with Josie, her heart would beat out of her chest in excitement. It all got worse after last night when her dreams were filled with Josie’s smile and her deep brown eyes. 

“It doesn’t,” Josie replied, breaking Penelope out of her thoughts, “Quite the opposite actually.”

Penelope started a Josie for a moment, not expecting her to respond the way that she did.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Penelope said cooly, with a small grin spreading across her face. She and Josie continued their stare down for a few moments before Penelope spoke up again, “Dinner at my place tonight?”

“I’d like that,” Josie responded with a soft smile. At this point, all she wanted to do was be close to Penelope. To continue the flirting and understand if Penelope really meant everything she was saying. To smile and laugh and feel good around the girl she had been thinking about all day. There was nothing Josie wanted more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Sorry for the wait, I had all of my finals this week! I'm done with school until my summer class starts on the 18th, so I should be updating more between now and then!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!
> 
> Also, check out the two one-shots that I wrote and posted this month! I'm pretty proud of them!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little weekend fun and fluff... Enjoy!

The rest of their first week at school was a success. Megan didn’t give Penelope any more issues in the classroom, although she did continue to try to get Penelope to open up about her relationship with Josie. Josie’s class had started their first book of the school year and was giving very positive feedback after the first three chapters. Hope, Lizzie, MG, Josie, and Penelope were supposed to go out for drinks Friday night in celebration, but Lizzie ended up not feeling well, so they postponed it following week and Josie went to Penelope’s again for dinner. 

It was at dinner Friday night that the two women realized they hadn’t exchanged numbers yet. With a switching of phones and a few jokes about mean contact names, Josie sent Penelope the first message. It was just a simple “ hi” with a smiley face after it, but it made Penelope smile. Penelope and Josie both loved the contact name that Penelope had chosen for Josie. It rhymed and it made both of them laugh. Penelope wasn’t too pleased with the name that Josie had chosen for her. She had assumed she would just be Pen or Penelope, but Josie had chosen something very, very different.

On Saturday, Penelope woke up around 7 am, when her internal weekend alarm clock started blaring inside her brain. She rolled out of bed and got ready for the day before making a cup of tea. She watched the news for a few minutes while petting Homer and once the clock hit 8 am, she left to go to the hardware store.

She and Josie had plans at 9:30 to start working on the fence and putting in a dog door for the boys to use. Penelope figured once she got what she needed at the store, she could stop and get something coffee and donuts for breakfast. She had learned rather quickly that Josie had quite the sweet tooth, and who was she to say no to such a cute sugar addict. 

Penelope pulled back into her driveway around 9:15 and checked her phone to see if Josie had reached out yet. She clicked on a message notification from Josie that had popped up on the screen and read the text.

**Mojo Jojo: Hey there, hot stuff. I’m up and ready to go whenever you are.**

Penelope laughed at the greeting and debated whether or not to point out the innuendo in the second half of the message. 

Josie waited on her phone, watching as Penelope typed.

**PP Park: I’m outside.**

**PP Park: And I have a surprise for you.**

Penelope exited her car after hitting the final send button and walked up to Josie’s door. She didn’t need to knock because Josie had opened it before Penelope had even gotten to the front steps. 

“What’d you get me?” Josie asked.

Penelope held out the box of donuts for Josie to take inside so that she could continue balancing the two cups of hot liquid in her hands.

“DONUTS?” Josie shrieked when she opened the lip of the white cardboard box, “I could kiss you right now.”

Penelope laughed, knowing the comment was a light-hearted joke but decided to play off of it anyway, “Jeez, at least take me on a date first!”

“Oh hush,” Josie scolded but with a big grin.

“I also got coffees,” Penelope said, following Josie into her house. Odey came running towards the door from somewhere down the hallway. When he was Penelope walking in alone, his ears fell backward and his tail stopped wagging, “What? You’re not excited to see me unless I bring your friend over?”

Odey tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes wide. Penelope just laughed and placed one of the coffees down on a table by the door to give Odey a scratch behind his ear.

“It’s okay. I get it,” Penelope whispered to him. She picked up the coffee again and made her way into the kitchen where Josie was. She had already gotten down plates and had a donut on the one she was holding in her hand.

Josie looked up at Penelope like a child who had been caught stealing something, “I hope you didn’t want the chocolate glazed one because it’s mine and I’m not sharing.”

Penelope let out another laugh when Josie took a big bite of the chocolate donut, “Don’t worry. I’m one of those weird people who like the jelly donuts,” Penelope admitted when she grabbed the sugar-coated, jelly-filled donut and put it on the other plate.

“Weirdo,” Josie teased, “Which one is mine?” She pointed to the two coffee cups.

“The one with the J on the side,” Penelope said in between bites, “I just had them make it the same way you do in the teacher’s lounge.”

Josie took a sip and smiled, “I didn’t know you were watching me make my coffee.”

“You never know when you need information like that,” Penelope smiled back, “Today, it happened to come in handy.”

Once Josie finished her first donut, she got up to get another. As she walked back over to the box, she said, “So, I got out the saw and a measuring tape from the shed this morning. I think I had a drill somewhere in there, but you texted just when I was looking for it.”

“I have a drill over at my place so I can grab that when I go get everything out of the car,” Penelope explained.

“And you should probably bring Homer over with you. We can keep them in one yard so no one gets too nosey and winds up licking a power tool through the fence,” Josie pointed out.

“This is why I keep you around,” Penelope laughed, “That’s a smart idea.”

“You keep me around because I’m awesome and I’m great arm candy,” Josie teased. She gave Penelope a quick wink and then continued eating her second donut.

“The arm candy part is true,” Penelope joked, “The awesome part though? Not so much.”

“Jerk!” Josie scolded and punched Penelope lightly in the shoulder.

“I’m just kidding,” Penelope defended herself with a laugh. Her laughing was cut short when she felt something slap at her leg. Penelope looked down to see Odey pawing at her shin, all puppy eyes, and pouty lips. He was glancing back and forth between Penelope and the donut in her hand and Penelope’s heart just melted, “Can I give Odey a piece?”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t already stolen it from you,” Josie smiled down at her dog, “He loves donuts more than I do.”

Penelope grinned at the German Shepherd and asked him, “Are you a good boy? Sit like a good boy and I’ll give you a bit.”

Odey listened and sat down, still watching Penelope’s every move. She ripped a piece of the plain donut off and held it out for him. Odey took the treat gently from her hands and went running back off into the living room to hide while he ate it.

“Looks like you’ve been using my trick,” Penelope smiled, “He was so gentle!”

“Yeah, we’ve been working on it. Every time he gets a treat, he has to be good about it. And so far, yesterday and today, I haven’t had a single problem with him,” Josie responded.

“He’s a quick learner,” Penelope commented and then finished the remainder of her donut, “Let me go grab Homer and the drill, and then I’ll get everything from my trunk and we can get to work!”

“If you give me your keys, I’ll go grab everything out of your car while you get everything from inside,” Josie suggested.

“Okay,” Penelope accepted. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and tossed them across the room to Josie, “I’ll be right back.”

“Just let yourself back in and meet me in the yard when you're done,” Josie told Penelope as she walked out. Once Penelope was gone, Josie went into her room to put some sneakers on and then made her way across the lawn to Penelope’s car. She took the box that contained the dog door out of the trunk, tucked it under her arm, and made her way back to her backyard 

Penelope had gone inside and began digging through some drawers in her laundry room. She remembered unpacking all of the tools she had acquired over the years from apartment repairs and throwing them into different drawers, but she couldn’t remember which drawer she had put the drill in. 

Homer was standing beside her, wagging his tail and watching his mom search. Every time Penelope let out a frustrated huff, Homer nuzzled up against her leg and licked her arm. Penelope thought it was cute how he knew what she was feeling and wanted nothing more than to make her feel better.

“Once I find this damn drill, Josie and I are going to work on a surprise for you!” Penelope told her dog, “Are you excited for that?”

Homer barked loudly in response, his tail wagging even faster than before.

“We’re going to go over there in a few minutes so you and Odey can play again,” Penelope explained, still digging through drawers, “All I have to do is -- GOT IT!” Penelope held the drill out to show Homer. He leaned forward and sniffed it before backing away, seemingly scared of the tool, “It’s okay buddy. It won’t hurt you.”

Homer barked again and ran towards the front door where his leash was sitting. Penelope followed him there, took the lease, and clipped it to his collar. It wasn’t much longer until Penelope, Homer, and the drill were back in Josie’s yard and getting ready to cut into the fence.

“Hey, buddy!” Josie laughed when Homer ran up to her and started pouncing at her feet. He fell onto his back and rolled around until Josie gave in and rubbed his belly, “You’re going to be so happy in a little while!”

“That he will,” Penelope agreed as she unboxed the dog door, “Homer, go play with Odey. We need some space over here,” Homer looked at his mom as she spoke and ran off towards the other side of the yard when she was finished. Odey ran after him only to nudge a ball towards Homer that Josie had bought for him.

“So, what first?” Josie asked, watching Penelope read over the instructions. 

“Measurements,” Penelope said, looking up towards Josie, “Do you have a pencil or a pen or something? So we can trace where to cut?”

“Already got it,” Josie chuckled and pulled a pencil out from behind her ear. A few strands of hair fell to the side as she did it, framing her face. Penelope felt a little flutter in her stomach looking at Josie at that moment. The woman was beautiful, always beautiful, but there were certain times that her beauty stuck Penelope harder than others. And this was one of them.

Penelope shook her head slightly, trying to refocus her mind, and then took the pencil from Josie’s hand, “Thank you…”

Josie smiled softly, “What do you want me to do?”

“Can you take the dog door out of its wrapping and hold it up against the fence. I’d say we should center it about here,” Penelope explained and pointed to a spot on the fence about a foot off of the ground, “We don’t want it too close to the ground because Odey is pretty tall.”

“Got it,” Josie did as she was asked, unwrapping the plastic-covered dog door and placing it against the fence where Penelope had shown her. Penelope scooted closer towards Josie so she could trace the perimeter of the dog door, learning into Josie at one point to reach the far side of it. Josie’s breath caught in her chest momentarily when she felt Penelope’s leg brush her own. When Penelope was finished and leaned back, Josie let out a breath, “Now we just need the internal measurements?”

“Yep,” Penelope smiled, “Just flip that over.”

When Josie did, Penelope began taking the measurements of the piece that would go through the fence and marked those measurements within the traced outline. 

Penelope turned to Josie and asked, “Do you want to cut it?”

Josie looked at the electric jigsaw that was laying near the open box. She felt a little shaky having had Penelope so close to her before, and she wasn't sure if operating a power tool with Penelope hovering over her was such a good idea. Plus, she had only used the tool one other time, and it was while cutting something horizontal. The chances of a clumsy Josie slipping with cutting on the vertical and taking off someone’s leg were too high for her liking.

“No,” Josie chuckled out, “You’ll learn soon enough that I’m danger prone. I think it’s better that I don’t kill anyone by accident today.”

Penelope laughed at the cute girl and nodded, “Okay. Hand me the saw then, please?”

Josie grabbed the saw by its handle and gave it to Penelope carefully. Once Penelope had it firmly in her hands, Josie plugged the cord into the extension cord she had pulled out earlier. Penelope touched the trigger button lightly, just enough to see if the saw had power, and the blade started vibrating. With a quick nod, Penelope pushed the saw up into the fence and began to cut down the internal lines. 

Josie looked on, watching the concentration on Penelope’s face never falter. She found something extremely attractive about a woman who took to doing things herself. A woman who wasn’t afraid to do a few repairs or afraid to pick up a power tool. The way that Penelope’s nimble hands got to work, exercising perfect precision with complete confidence… Josie found herself the slightest bit turned on.

“All done,” Penelope said, breaking Josie out of her thoughts. Josie quickly tried to cover up the blush she was feeling by picking up the dog door and handing it to Penelope.

“Here,” Josie said quickly.

“Are you okay?” Penelope asked, taking the dog door from Josie’s hand and placing it down next to her.

“Yeah,” Josie said as firmly as she could muster, “I’m fine.”

Penelope tilted her head slightly out of confusion but just laughed and said, “Okay…”

She picked the dog door up again and fit it into the rectangular slot she just cut. It fit snugly, and all that was left was to screw the external parts into place and put the magnetic flap in. 

“I’m gonna hop over to my side and drill in those screws first, just in case the boys decide they want to run through before the backside is finished. That way, they won’t knock it out of place,” Penelope explained, “Just hand me the drill over the fence?”

“Like, actually jump the fence?” Josie asked.

“Yeah, I’m lazy,” Penelope laughed, standing up and lifting her one foot onto the support beam halfway up the fence. Once halfway up, Penelope lifted herself up with her arms and swung both legs over the top of the fence, landing on the ground in her own yard firmly. 

“That was kind of hot,” Josie whispered to herself.

“What was that?” Penelope asked from the other side of the fence.

“Nothing. I was just talking to myself,” Josie said, trying to avoid further embarrassment, “Do you want the drill?”

“Yes. And the screws, please,” Penelope chuckled. She had heard exactly what Josie had said but wanted to see if the taller woman would own up to her words, or hid behind the fence in embarrassment. Josie happened to do the latter. 

Penelope drilled the 4 screws into the corners once Josie handed her everything she needed. When she was done, she handed them back over the fence, “If you want to do those holes on your side, I’ll climb back over while you do it.”

“Okay,” Josie agreed. Penelope took that time to make her way back over the fence the same way she came. Once firmly on her feet, Penelope walked up behind Josie and watched her finish the job. Josie was currently sitting in front of the fence and putting the magnetic flap on because Odey and Homer were getting antsy to try out their new present.

Penelope squatted down just behind Josie’s right shoulder, leaned forward so that her head was resting on Josie’s shoulder, and said, “It looks good.”

Josie’s breath caught in her chest for the 3rd time that morning. Penelope knew exactly what she was doing. She was hoping this would happen. Things between her and Josie were constantly filled with flirty tension and Penelope had heard Josie make a few very intriguing statements. After Josie’s whispered thought a few minutes ago, Penelope couldn’t deny the fact that she wanted to make Josie a little more flustered.

“What are you doing?” Josie whispered, cotton-mouthed because of nerves.

“Admiring our handy work,” Penelope answered cooly. Her face was just next to Josie’s, both their heads turned towards each other, only inches apart.

Before Josie had a chance to answer, her body was knocked to the side and Penelope’s legs swept out from under her. They both fell to the ground as Homer and Odey pushed past them and leaped through their new dog door. Out of instinct, Penelope slipped her hand behind Josie’s head to keep it from hitting the ground. Once Josie was flat on the ground with Penelope on top of her, she slowly lowered Josie’s head. Moving one arm to either side of Josie’s body, Penelope lifted herself slightly, only allowing a few inches between them.

“Hey,” Penelope smiled down, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Josie laughed, laying her one hand softly around Penelope’s waist, “It seems like our dogs are pretty good wingmen, huh?” Josie said, acknowledging the position she and Penelope were currently in.

“They seem to know what they’re doing,” Penelope laughed back. The few strands that had fallen out from Josie’s ponytail earlier, were now back on her face. Penelope forced her weight onto her left arm and used her other hand to brush them off Josie’s face and back behind her ear. Putting her hand back on the ground and redistributing her weight, Penelope spoke again, “We should probably get up.”

“We should,” Josie whispered but didn’t move and didn’t let go of Penelope’s waist.

Penelope leaned down quickly and placed a gentle kiss on Josie’s forehead before pushing herself up to her feet and extending a hand to help Josie, “Come on. Let’s go check on the boys.”

Josie grabbed Penelope’s hand and let the other girl lift her onto her feet. Josie just nodded in response because she didn’t trust herself to speak. She was still too overwhelmed by all of the things that happened this morning with Penelope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to check out the 2 one-shots that I wrote as well. Just head to my profile to find them. I think you'll enjoy them!!
> 
> &
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little drunk Posie for y'all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys aren't going to be very happy with me by the end of this... oops! Sorry!

By the time the sun had set, Josie and Penelope had gone through a six-pack of beer and a bottle and a half of wine. They weren’t falling down drunk, but definitely feeling the pleasure that comes with alcohol. 

It all started after they finished putting in the dog door. The two women checked on the dogs and watched them run in and out of the dog door, prancing around each yard and taking time to explore new territories. Once lunch came, Josie made them some sandwiches and they sat on her back deck to soak in the sun and fill their stomachs.

The first beer came around one o’clock in the afternoon. It was a warm day, they had run the dogs around the yard, throwing balls or chasing them in circles, and a nice cold beer sounded good after all the exercise. Josie broke out the six-pack of Blue Moon, which happened to be one of Penelope’s favorites, and by four, they finished the pack and moved onto the wine with dinner at Penelope’s house. They paced themselves with the wine, knowing that it would hit them a lot harder than the beer would.

Now it was about 9 o'clock, and Josie and Penelope were sitting around the firepit that Penelope’s previous owners left in her backyard. Penelope had pulled some wood out of her shed and built a nice, roaring fire which helped balance out the quickly cooling weather of the mid-September night. Josie had brought their wine glasses and the other half a bottle to Penelope’s yard and placed it on the little log table that sat between two of the chairs.

“Truth or dare?” Josie asked, breaking the silence and drawing Penelope’s gaze away from the flames.

“Really? What are we? 12?” Penelope laughed and took another sip of her wine.

“Oh shut up,” Josie giggled, “I just want to know more about you. Now answer the question!”

“Fine,” Penelope relented with a soft sight, “Truth.”

“What’s your favorite color?” Josie asked. She figured starting with an innocent question would get Penelope fully onboard with the childish game.

“Black,” Penelope answered.

“Black isn’t a color,” Josie teased, “It’s a shade.”

“Then red is my favorite  _ color _ ,” Penelope laughed, “And black is my favorite  _ shade _ .”

“Fair enough,” Josie smiled, “Now you ask.”

Penelope replied, “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Josie answered.

Penelope thought for a moment. There was so much that she wanted to know about Josie. So many questions that she had. So many conversations that she wished she could start. But she knew that they had only recently met and she should keep it simple and light-hearted. She didn’t want to accidentally bring something up that may make the taller woman uncomfortable with something she may not be willing to share,

“What’s the funniest way you’ve been injured?” Penelope finally asked.

“Oh god,” Josie sighed.

“That bad?” Penelope questioned.

“It’s just embarrassing,” Josie explained.

“You don’t have to share it if you don’t want to,” Penelope assured her.

“No,” Josie cut in before Penelope could offer another question, “I was dating this girl a while back, maybe 3 or 4 years ago? We finally decided to take the  _ next step _ , you know?” Josie continued, blushing slightly, “She pushed me onto the bed but I had left a pair of shoes on the ground and I tripped over them. I fell onto the corner of the bed, smacked my head on the corner of the frame, and fell off and onto my arm. Let’s just say we spent the remainder of the night in the ER instead of in bed together. I had a concussion and a broken arm. Imagine trying to explain to my freaked-out sister how I ended up that way?”

“Wow…” Penelope drew out into a deep laugh, “That’s pretty bad. I was expecting some childhood stupidity or something.”

“I was actually a pretty safe kid. I don’t think I ever got too badly hurt. This was the first time I broke a bone or got a concussion,” Josie told her, “But enough about my prior sexcapades. Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Penelope said again, “But make it better than “what’s your favorite color” please?”

“Okay,” Josie paused, “How old were you when you had your first kiss, and who was it with?” Josie asked, turning towards Penelope to give her full attention to the short woman’s answer.

Penelope thought for a moment, “I was 16 and at my first high school party. It was actually during a game of truth or dare. This girl, Sabrina, got dared to kiss the hottest person in the circle and she chose me. We ended up dating for a year after that,” Penelope explained.

“Must have been a pretty good ego boost, being told you were the hottest person in the room,” Josie laughed.

“If that’s what she thought back then, I’d love to know what she thinks now,” Penelope laughed along, “I still had braces at 16!”

“Why’d you guys break up?” Josie asked.

“She moved,” Penelope told her, “Her dad got a job in California and they packed up and left the next month. Neither of us wanted to do long distance, so we ended it on good terms.”

“What were you like back then? In high school?” Josie questioned. She wanted to know more about Penelope. She wanted to know as much as the other girl was willing to tell. There was something so intriguing about her, something so different from anyone else Josie had known. She was such a go-with-the-flow kind of person, so passionate about the things she loved, but so fluid about everything else. Josie found that extremely attractive.

“I haven’t changed much,” Penelope admitted, “I definitely matured a lot and I lost the braces. But I’m still the book nerd who would prefer to stay in and read, then go out and party.”

“Except you're here partying with me instead of in bed reading,” Josie pointed out and raised her wine glass.

“If it were anyone else, I probably wouldn’t be,” Penelope said with a soft smile, “I seem to be pretty biased towards you.”

Josie blushed slightly, “Seems like that makes two of us,”

Penelope chuckled, “Okay, my turn. Truth or dare?”

“Dare. Let’s make this interesting” Josie replied.

“I noticed a ukelele on your couch the other day. Play something for me?” Penelope grinned. Josie’s jaw fell slightly, not expecting the other woman to ask her to do something like that. Josie didn’t play for many people. She was always a little self-conscious about showing people any of her talents, especially singing along to different songs she had learned on the little instrument.

“Do I have to?” Josie wined.

“You don’t have to,” Penelope laughed, “I’d never force you to do anything, but I’d enjoy it if you did.”

Josie let out a groan and got up out of her chair as she said, “Fine,” She made quick work of running next door to grab her ukelele and was back within a few minutes.

Penelope waited by the fire, watching the flames flicker until Josie plopped back down into her chair with a huff.

“If you laugh at me, I’m never speaking to you again,” Josie warned as she placed her fingers on the strings.

“I’d never laugh at you,” Penelope reassured her.

Josie started with a few plucks of the strings, setting a little melody to a song that Penelope quickly recognized. A large smile took over Penelope’s face as Josie began to sing.

_ Stars shining bright above you _

_ Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you" _

_ Birds singing in the sycamore tree _

_ Dream a little dream of me _

Penelope stared at Josie’s moving lips until the taller woman strummed the last chord. Slowly, Josie lowered her ukelele and placed it gently on the ground next to her chair.

“So?” Josie asked hesitantly.

“You have a beautiful voice,” Penelope whispered.

Josie ducked her head with a little bit of embarrassment, “Thank you,” She replied, “That was the first song I ever learned. It was my grandma’s favorite song in the world and she had that record playing on repeat every time I would visit. We’d sway around the house singing to this together.”

“It’s a great song,” Penelope smiled.

“It is,” Josie said as a chill ran down her spine. Penelope noticed the small shiver, so she got up and walked back into her house. She ignored the confused look that Josie had given her and made her way over to her bedroom. Once she got what she needed, she walked back outside, down the deck stairs and back to Josie

“Here,” Penelope said, handing over her favorite sweatshirt to Josie.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Josie sighed but still held a smile on her face, “I would have been fine.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Penelope replied as Josie slipped the hoodie over her head. In the process of putting the piece of clothing on, Josie’s arms got stuck as she tried to push them through the sleeves. She wiggled around for a few moments, trying desperately to get the hoodie to work with her movements, while Penelope watched her with a large grin.

Finally getting her arms through the sleeves and pulling the sweatshirt the remainder of the way down, Josie let out a huff. She was glad that she was warmer, but she was slightly embarrassed by the fact that the alcohol was starting to affect her motor skills.

Josie crossed her arms in front of her and brought her head down slightly to enjoy the new warmth. She caught a whiff of a familiar scent and before she could stop herself, she said, “It smells like you,” 

Josie immediately slapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying anything more. Apparently the alcohol was destroying the filter between what she thought and what came out of her mouth and she was embarrassed by that fact.

Penelope laughed, “Thanks?” She said in a slightly confused tone.

“It’s a good thing,” Josie answered as she blushed, “I like it.”

“Let’s finish this bottle of wine,” Penelope suggested with a grin and poured the remainder of the wine between their two glasses. There was only about a quarter of a glass each left in the bottle, just enough to keep them both feeling happy and carefree, but not enough to push either of them over the edge.

“We successfully finished a six-pack and two bottles of wine,” Josie grinned, “I’m definitely feeling it,” She said with a giggle.

“You’re a very giggly drunk,” Penelope said, “It’s cute.”

“I know I am,” Josie giggled again.

“And oh so humble,” Penelope teased.

“Oh shut up,” Josie scoffed. Looking back at Penelope, Josie let her filter diminish even more and teased Penelope back, “You know full well that I’m cute.”

“I never disagreed with you,” Penelope laughed.

“So, you do think I’m cute!” Had there been no alcohol in Josie’s system, she probably wouldn’t have pushed this any further. But there was quite a bit of alcohol in her system, so Josie decided to blame whatever she said, or did, on it.

Penelope had always been a bit of a flirt and she chose not to stop that now. Josie had been occupying Penelope’s every waking thought and filling her dreams with nothing but peace and happiness. The last few days their flirting had continued, had increased even, and they had a few moments together where Penelope wondered if Josie was feeling the same way as she was.

“I do,” Penelope answered calmly. She locked eyes with Josie and gave her the most caring, soft smile, she could possibly muster, “I think you’re beautiful.”

Josie’s breath hitched momentarily. It took her a moment before she gave Penelope a sweet smile and then turned back to their previous game, “Truth or dare?” Josie asked.

“Truth,” Penelope said.

“You’re boring!” Josie pouted. Penelope could help but bit her lip when Josie’s face scrunched up in annoyance. Cute was an understatement at that moment.

“I’m not boring! You’re getting drunker with each sip of wine. I have no idea what you would dare me to do,” Penelope explained, “I’m just being safe.”

“Fine,” Josie said, giving Penelope a devilish grin, “What is something you don’t want me to know?”

Penelope’s eyes shot open wide. She wasn’t expecting such a serious question out of the drunken Josie sitting next to her. There were so many things Penelope could say right now, so many things she could confess, but she was afraid of scaring Josie off. It had only been two weeks since they first met. They weren’t close enough of friends for Penelope to admit anything about her feelings and get away with not making their friendship awkward if Josie didn’t feel the same. At the same time, there was nothing that she wouldn’t tell Josie, other than how awestruck she is by her beauty. How the butterflies in her stomach increase in intensity with every second she’s around Josie. How she wants nothing more than to lean forward, right then, and kiss her until both of them were out of breath.

Instead, Penelope settled on being honest, but still vague, “You scare me.”

“Why?” Josie asked, a little dumbfounded by Penelope’s answer.

“The way you’re looking at me right now,” Penelope said, locking eyes with Josie, seeing the care and the comfort. What frightened her most though, were the blown pupils and the parted lips. Penelope didn’t know whether it was the alcohol or attraction causing it, “It’s confusing and that scared me a little bit. I don’t like not knowing.”

Josie held eye contact, leaning forward just enough that she could feel the heat radiate off of Penelope, feel the sharp intake of breath caused by their close distance. Josie stayed in her place, watching, waiting, hoping. Her eyes dropped to Penelope’s lips, seeing the shorter woman’s tongue sweep across her bottom lip to wet it, just slightly. It was taking every ounce of will power for Josie to remain in her place, to just jump forward and crash her lips into Penelope’s and finally taste what she’s been waiting for two weeks.

“Does this scare you?” Josie whispered, her breath mingling with Penelope’s.

Penelope’s words were caught in her throat, so instead, she just nodded her head softly and hummed. 

“What about this?” Josie asked, leaning in even further until her top lip was just barely brushing Penelope’s bottom lip.

“Yes,” Penelope told her. She could almost taste the bitterness of the wine they had been drinking on Josie’s lips. Almost, but not yet.

Josie had no idea why she was being so bold. Kissing Penelope was something she had been thinking about for so long, but it wasn’t something she ever planned to do. At least not until she was sure it would be welcome. And right now, she wasn’t sure whether it was welcome. But Josie didn’t care anymore. She had enough liquid courage inside of her to allow her to get this close, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop herself.

“And this?” Josie asked just before capturing Penelope’s bottom lip in a fiery kiss. It only took a moment for Penelope to bring her hand up to Josie’s jaw, to stroke her fingers across the defined line, and cup the girl’s cheek to hold her in place. Taking this as a sign of approval, Josie leaped forward, slipping out of her chair and straddling Penelope’s lap. Penelope let both hands fall to Josie’s hips, grabbing that tightly and pulling the woman into her body. Their lips moved in unison in a hot and passionate kiss. Penelope ran her tongue softly across Josie’s lip, seeking entrance which was quickly given to her. It wasn’t sloppy, despite the alcohol running through their systems. Their lips and tongues weren’t trying to win a battle, just seeking closeness and living for the electricity that flowed between them.

As if that electricity had shocked Josie, she jumped back. She was out of Penelope’s lap and standing a good foot away from her before Penelope could even argue.

“I--” Josie stuttered. She couldn’t meet Penelope’s eyes, the eyes that were basically begging her to come back and continue what they just started, “I’m sorry…”

And with that, Josie ran off into Penelope’s house with Odey chasing after her. Penelope could hear her front door slam closed, and the crunching of leaves from the front yard as Josie ran back to her own home. 

All Penelope could do was let out a deep, disappointed sigh, and fall back into her chair. She didn’t know where any of this went wrong and she had no idea how to fix it. She enjoyed Josie’s company and her friendship more than she wanted a relationship with the woman. She just needed to find a way to explain that to her and fix whatever just occurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to do that, but trust me, the next few chapters are going to be well worth the annoyance from the end of this one!
> 
> Also!!! The lyrics in this chapter are from Dream a Little Dream of Me by Doris Day, but I’ll link the version that I thought Josie would sing below. Check it out if you want
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3FWiR7dtM
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much Josie or direct Posie... if at all, but I promise it's a good chapter

Days went by without any word from Josie. Penelope didn’t know what to say or how to approach her. She knew Josie was embarrassed by what she did, by kissing Penelope and then running off. It had disappointed her because she hoped that Josie’s flirting was backed by feelings, but she wasn’t upset with her for what happened. She just missed her friend.

Penelope tried texting Josie on Sunday morning. She sent a simple “hi” and waited for some kind of response. Nothing came in return, just the two check marks that indicated she was left on reading. On Monday, Penelope left for work and noticed Josie’s car was still in her driveway. It was odd because Josie normally got to school before Penelope did, but what was even odder was that Josie didn’t show up to the school until 5 minutes before her first class started. 

That routine continued until Thursday. Josie would come to work only minutes before she was supposed to, leaving no spare time for Penelope to try to talk to her. Every afternoon, when the final bell rang, Josie was out the door before Penelope was even able to pack up her bags. 

Friday morning was the same and Penelope was starting to get frustrated. Her mood throughout the week was quickly going sour. She tried everything to talk to Josie, but nothing worked. Texts went unanswered, calls sent right to voicemail, and every time that Penelope saw Josie in the hallway, Josie would turn around and walk the other way. It was like they were immature high school students themselves, instead of mature adults who told their students to talk things out, not avoid them.

During her last class of the day, Penelope was completely worn out so she let her kids have a free period to read their assigned book. Megan was sitting on her phone, not doing any of her work and for a while, Penelope let it slide. But after wasting half of the class doing nothing, Penelope asked Megan to step out into the hallway with her.

“What are you doing?” Penelope sighed, shutting the door behind them.

“Scrolling through Twitter,” Megan told her teacher plainly.

“Why?” Penelope asked.

“Because I’m bored?” Megan replied with a confused look on her face.

“Obviously you're not getting my point, so I’m going to spell it out for you,” Penelope deadpanned, “Read. Your. Book.”

“I. Already. Did.” Megan replied, copying her teacher's syntax.

“All of it?” Penelope asked, with a raised eyebrow showing her disbelief. 

“Every page,” Megan assured her, “What’s up with you this week? Why have you been so off?”

“I can't be discussing my personal life with my students,” Penelope told her, “But I’m sorry for getting snippy. You didn’t deserve to have your head bitten off.”

“Miss P, if somethings up, I know it’s weird, but I’m willing to listen,” Megan told her, “You’ve put up with all of my shit and listened to me complain about everything. It’s the least I could do. Plus, it’s not like you know many people here. Basically me and Miss Salzman are all you have. And if I’m correct, which I believe I am, I think she’s the reason you're all bitchy. So, it looks like you're stuck with me.”

Penelope closed her eyes and ran her hands down her face, “Let’s just say Miss Salzman and I got into a little bit of a… awkward situation. I’m trying to talk to her and fix it, but she won’t talk to me. And it’s hard moving to a completely different state, not knowing anyone, and having your only friend refuse to look at you.”

“And by an awkward situation, you mean?” Megan prodded.

“No,” Penelope scolded, “I’m not getting into that with you.”

“How about this,” Megan paused in thought, “I need one more letter of recommendation for my college application and I’ve been meaning to go find Miss S. to talk about it. Let me out of class five minutes early to go talk to her, and I’ll keep her in her room until everyone’s gone.”

“Why are you so invested in this?” Penelope asked, “From the beginning you’ve wanted to know everything about me and Josie. You’ve poked and prodded, threatened to start rumors, you give me these weird looks whenever I mention her. And now, you want to help me get her alone? What’s in it for you?”

“A letter of recommendation from two of my favorite teachers,” Megan smiled.

“I already promised you one and I know full well Josie would write you one without a second thought,” Penelope said, calling out Megan’s lie, “So, what is it really?”

“You  _ are  _ gay, right?” Megan asked.

“What in god's name does that have to do with anything?” Penelope fired back, completely dumbfounded by Megan’s blunt question.

“If you want to know why I’m so invested then you're going to have to answer my question first, Park,” Megan rolled her eyes. Penelope watched her for a moment, contemplating how inappropriate it would be to share that side of her personal life with a student. A simple yes or no, she concluded, wouldn’t be that bad, but if Megan were to ask any further questions, Penelope would have to shut her down. She had never been ashamed of her sexuality and was willing to admit it to anyone who asked, but she wouldn’t share anything more since it could be deemed inappropriate and tasteless.

“I am,” Penelope answered the student, waiting to see where Megan was going to go with this.

“Well,” Megan paused, looking down at her feet for a moment. She left out a deep sigh and made eye contact with Penelope again, “So am I. And no one else knows that. Not even my family. So please keep this between us.”

Penelope gave Megan a soft smile, as a thank you for trusting her enough to tell her something so personal and so scary.

“For so long, I hated myself because I thought I was different and weird and broken,” Megan continued, “I never thought I’d get my happy ending. So I pushed it away. I dated guy after guy hoping that I’d feel something and I never did. And I gave up. Not only on guys but also on girls.”

“You shouldn’t give up,” Penelope spoke softly, “You should continue learning about this side of yourself. Continue experiencing all of the messiness and the wonderful feelings and the heartbreak, because one day, you’re going to be so happy. And you're going to laugh at how you feel now because in the end, it will all work out.”

Megan nodded her head, smiling widely at her teacher who was becoming more of a mentor to her than just an educator, “I will. I promise,” Megan paused, “When I overheard you and Miss Saltzman on the first day of school, I felt just a little bit of hope. Seeing you both so happy and flirty and carefree, I just imagined how that could be me one day. So you asked why I was so invested? That’s why. Because I want you two to be happy together. Because it makes it all seem a little more hopeful and a little more promising.”

“If that was the case, why threaten to start a rumor? Why give me so much shit at the beginning of the year?” Penelope asked. She was genuinely curious. Penelope had never expected Megan to be so open and so honest with her about something so personal, but she was, and that piqued Penelope’s curiosity.

“Because I was jealous,” Megan told her bluntly, “Because for so long I thought I’d never be that happy and seeing you two like that made me angry. But I remembered how much I loved Miss S. and I got to talk to you more and you weren’t just the new teacher anymore with a superiority complex. You didn’t put up with my shit. You treated me like an adult and a normal person. And when you're feeling at odds with yourself and someone treats you so normally, it really changed your opinions on them. And that changed my opinions on the two of you together. It changed from jealousy to hoping that you two finally figured your shit out.”

Penelope couldn’t help but laugh at the end of Megan’s statement. She felt similarly at the moment. She had figured her shit out. She knew she wanted Josie in a way more than friendship. But she was still waiting for Josie to figure her own shit out. And at the moment, Josie was far from having figured her shit out, seeing as though she wouldn’t even have an adult conversation with Penelope.

“And now you're offering to help us figure our shit out?” Penelope asked, using Megan’s own words.

“I guess so,” Megan chuckled.

“You don’t have to, you know,” Penelope told her, “I can wait this out. I can wait until she’s ready to talk or I can just forget about it all and make some new friends.”

“I think the next question is, do you want to?” Megan asked.

“No, I don’t,” Penelope sighed, “She’s different. And I don’t want to lose that.”

“Then let me out of class 5 minutes early,” Megan told her, “I’ll keep her distracted until you get there.”

“Okay,” Penelope smiled, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Megan replied, turning around to reopen the door to the classroom.

“One more thing,” Penelope stopped her, “If you ever need to talk about anything, please let me know. Whether it be book recommendations, college concerns, or anything that has to do with your sexuality, I’m here,” Penelope told her, “I don’t ever want you to feel alone or different or broken. I never want you to feel unworthy or hopeless. And if you ever do, I will do everything in my power to help you get through it. Because you're not alone, and you're not different or broken, and more worthy than you could possibly imagine. There is so much hope for your future and when you realize that, you’re going to feel so alive and so free.”

A small tear rolled down Megan’s cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Penelope’s shoulder, hugging her like her life depended on it. Penelope rubbed small circles on her upper back as the younger student sniffled in her arms.

“No one has ever said something like that to me,” Megan mumbled into Penelope’s shoulders, “Thank you so much.”

“Of course, kid,” Penelope whispered back, “I meant every word.”

Megan pulled back, and took her phone out of her pocket. She looked at the time and then back at her teacher, “Let me go grab my things and I’ll go talk to Miss Saltzman. Don’t be too long. I don’t know how long I can keep her around.”

“Okay,” Penelope laughed. She followed Megan back into the classroom and walked back over to her desk to pack up her things. The sooner she was able to get out of her classroom and to Josie’s, the better of a chance she would have to get the other woman to talk to her.

She watched as Megan packed up her own things. The girl looked over at her teacher, who nodded at her, and then she walked back out of the classroom. Megan was on a mission. One that may seem a little inappropriate, but one that she stood behind with her whole heart. One that Penelope was grateful for. And one that was about to catch Josie completely off guard. 

Penelope waited out the last five minutes of class. She tapped her fingers against her desk, one at a time, and watched the clock tick by slowly. It was the most excruciating five minutes of her life. It felt as if the clock were broken, moving at a quarter of the speed that it normally did, but logically, she knew it wasn’t. It was just her anxious brain having trouble processing what may happen when she finally got to talk to Josie.

When the bell finally rang, Penelope was up and out of her chair before the first student stood to leave. She went to stand by the door, filing each student out as quickly as she could, some of them looking at her as if she had two heads. One daring student tried to stop her, pausing in front of her to ask a question.

“Hey Miss P,” The boy, Tyler, stopped to ask, “Can I ask you a quick question?”

“How quick, Tyler?” Penelope asked, a little annoyed by her plans falling apart, “I have an appointment I need to get to.”

“Really quick, I promise,” Tyler told her.

“Okay. What’s up?”

“I saw you talking to Megan in the hallway and I was just wondering if she’s okay,” Tyler said, “We’ve been best friends since we were little and she’s been so off lately. I know you can’t really tell me what’s going on with her, but I just need to know if she’s okay.”

Penelope let out a soft sigh. She didn’t know why so many people were now coming to her to talk about personal things. She guessed it was just what people assumed their teachers were for, but she never experienced something like this at her previous school. Most students came to class and were waiting on the edge of their seats to leave. They barely talked about class-related things, let alone personal things.

“She’s okay,” Penelope told him, “But if you want to know more, you should try talking to her. I’m sure she’ll open up if you give her your full attention and support.”

“Okay. Thanks Miss P.,” Tyler smiled, “I just hate seeing her so upset. I know she gives everyone a lot of shit, but she really is one of the best people I’ve ever known. I’m glad she’s comfortable talking to you though. At least she has someone.”

“Well, I’d do the same for you too, Tyler. I’m here for anyone who needs me. Just because I’m your teacher, doesn’t mean that I can’t be a good listener too,” Penelope explained.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind, Miss P. I’ll let you get going now,” Tyler waved to her as he left the room. Penelope was quick to follow, shutting off the lights and shutting the door behind her.

She made her way down the hallway and towards Josie’s room. The door was still open and the lights were still on and as she got closer, she could hear Megan talking to Josie about college.

Penelope stood outside of Josie’s door and off to the side, listening to their conversation and waiting for the right time to go in. When she heard the conversation start to dwindle, she peaked her head into the door frame and made eye contact with Megan. Megan gave her a slight nod to let Penelope know that she saw her and then wished Josie goodbye. Megan grabbed her things, thanked Josie once more, and left the room. She stopped in the hallway, just past Penelope, and gave her a thumbs-up before turning and continuing on her way down the hall.

Penelope took a deep breath and then walked into Josie’s room. Josie’s back was towards the door, her hands fumbling around her desk as she packed up her bags quickly. Penelope figured she wanted to get out of there as fast as she could, avoiding Penelope again. A small grin broke out across Penelope’s face as she realized the girl had failed. Penelope wasn’t going to force Josie into talking, all she wanted to do was let the woman know that she wasn’t upset or uncomfortable and that she just wanted to talk.

“Hey, Jojo,” Penelope spoke up, hoping to get the taller woman’s attention. 

Josie whipped around at the sound of Penelope’s voice. She stopped her movements immediately, staring down the raven-haired woman, debating how to handle this.

“No,” Josie said simply, “Just no.”

“No what, Josie?” Penelope asked, hoping with all of her being that they could just sit and talk instead of dancing around each other as they have for the last week.

Josie doesn’t even answer her, she just grabs her things and pushes past Penelope roughly, leaving Penelope alone in Josie’s room completely shocked.

“What the fuck,” Penelope whispered to herself, sitting down in one of the chairs in Josie’s classroom, to think about what she should do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!! Let me know in the comments
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DONT REALLY KNOW WHETHER TO PUT A TW ON HERE, BUT THERE IS A HEAVY SCENE ABOUT EMOTIONAL/VERBAL ABUSE IN HERE... So, if that bothers you or brings up any bad memories, skip this chapter and shoot me a DM on twitter and I’ll give you a synopsis of this chapter without anything triggering. This should be the only chapter that talks about things like that, but if anything else does come up, I’ll do the same for that chapter as well. 
> 
> As always, enjoy! This should explain some of Josie’s thoughts and feelings from the last chapter or two… And a little bit of fluff at the end because I HATE angst.

When Penelope pulled into her driveway, after sitting in Josie’s classroom for nearly an hour thinking, she noticed that Josie’s car wasn’t in her own driveway. She let out a huff before exiting her car and walking into her own house. Homer was waiting at the door, his tail wagging and his back legs bouncing up and down. 

“Are you hungry buddy?” Penelope asked, petting Homer softly across the top of his head, “Let’s go get you some food.”

As Penelope walked further into her house, she heard the dog door connected to her back door flap open and little soft clicks sound in the kitchen. Homer went running into the kitchen to see whatever came through the dog door.

When Penelope didn’t hear any scuffling or any barking, she walked into the kitchen to see what came in herself. Standing right next to Homer was Odey, looking as innocent as ever.

“What are you doing here, little dude?” Penelope asked the other dog, reaching down to pet him hello.

Odey looked at her with a confused head tilt. He leaned down and stiffed at Homer’s empty food bowl and then looked back up at Penelope.

“Are you hungry too?” Penelope asked the German Shepherd. 

Odey responded with a loud bark and a crazy tail. Penelope laughed and grabbed Homer’s bowl and an extra Tupperware container from her cabinet. She filled the two bowls with dry kibble and then added a spoonful of wet dog food to each, mixing it in thoroughly. She placed the two bowls down, a few feet from each other to prevent any fights, and then filled an extra water bowl for Odey as well.

“I hope I’m not overfeeding you,” Penelope said to her neighbor’s dog, “If you’re lying to me and your mom already fed you, I’m going to get in even more trouble than I’m already in.”

Odey didn’t pay her any mind, he just continued eating his food. Penelope sighed and went to her room to change out of her work clothes and into something more comfortable. Once she was done, she went to her fridge and pulled out some leftovers from the previous day and heated them up in the microwave. While she waited for her food to heat, she turned her electric kettle on and put a teabag into a new cup. She figured once she was done eating, she would check to see if Josie had gotten home yet. 

When the microwave beeped, Penelope pulled the container out and grabbed a fork and knife from the drawer. She put everything on the table and went to pour her water into her teacup. After a little bit of steeping, she threw away the teabag and took the steaming cup over to her food on the table. 

Odey and Homer had taken a seat next to the table, one on either side of Penelope’s seat. They laid there, watching as Penelope picked at her food, hoping to see something fall on the ground for them to pick up.

When Penelope was done, she threw her dishes in the sink, grabbed her half-full teacup, and walked to the front door. She peaked out and looked at Josie’s driveway, which was still empty. Deciding to be ballsy, she shut her door behind her and walked across the lawns, taking a seat on Josie’s front steps. She waited for about an hour until something changed.

\----------------

Josie came down the street, pulling into her driveway with ease like she did every day. She had spent the afternoon at her sister’s house, hoping that Penelope would get home before her and give up on trying to talk to her. She had been ranting to Lizzie and Hope about how stupid she had been the previous week, how she had kissed Penelope, and ran off without another word. Lizzie and Hope had to talk her off of a ledge, trying to get her to see that what she did wasn’t the end of the world. It did very little for Josie, but a small piece of her had calmed down.

Josie wasn’t really paying attention when she pulled into her driveway. She just threw her car in park, grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, and made her way up to her house. She stopped dead in her tracks when she looked up from fiddling with her keys and locked eyes with the one person she was hoping to avoid.

“What are you doing here?” Josie asked in an annoyed tone.

“Just wanted to tell you not to feed Odey,” Penelope replied dryly, “He came in through the dog door when I got home and was begging, so I fed him with Homer,” Penelope finished, standing up and getting ready to leave. 

“Is he still over there?” Josie asked softly, feeling a little guilty for leaving her dog hungry.

“I think so,” Penelope responded, “He and Homer were chilling on the couch when I left, but I’ll send him back when I get there.”

“Okay,” Josie whispered. Just as she was about to walk past Penelope, Penelope stopped her, taking her wrist softly in her hand.

“I’m not mad, you know” Penelope told her, “But I do miss my friend.”

Josie looked up at her, locking eyes for a moment and then sighing, “Are you going to force me to talk about this?”

“I’d never force you to do anything,” Penelope assured her in a comforting tone. The weight that felt like it was crushing her chest immediately lifted and Josie felt immense relief.

Josie gave her a small smile, “Do you maybe want to come in for a little while?”

“I’d like that,” Penelope answered. She let go of Josie’s wrist, dropping her hand to her side and waited until Josie instructed her to follow.

Once they were back inside, Josie threw her bag onto the floor and turned to Penelope, “Give me a few minutes. I just want to change really quickly. You can sit if you want.”

“Okay. Take your time,” Penelope replied. She walked around the couch and took a seat on one side of it. She didn’t even notice the two dogs who came running into Josie’s house until they hopped up onto the couch and into her lap. Homer sat across her legs, while Odey rested his head on Penelope’s thigh. She laughed, petting both dogs with each of her hands.

Josie came out a few minutes later, clad in sweatpants and a t-shirt. When she saw the position that Penelope was stuck in, she couldn’t help but smile. She found it absolutely adorable how the two dogs had settled in the shorter woman's lap, basically begging for her attention.

“I’m glad you all have made yourselves comfortable,” Josie announced as she rounded the couch, “But I can’t help but notice that you haven’t left any room for me.”

Odey and Homer both looked over at the smiling woman and climbed further into Penelope’s lap, opening a spot for Josie to sit at the other end of the couch.

“Thank you,” Josie laughed, “I’m a little upset that I don’t have a cuddle buddy though.”

The two dogs looked up again but quickly put their heads back down, refusing to leave Penelope’s comfortable lap.

“Sorry, Jojo. I’m obviously the favorite mom,” Penelope told her. When she realized what she said, she stiffened slightly, “I mean--”

“It’s okay. I know what you meant,” Josie calmed her down, “But maybe we should talk about this. I don’t want you walking on eggshells around me.”

“Only if you want to,” Penelope said.

“I’d much rather prefer to pretend nothing ever happened, but I know that’s not the smart thing to do,” Josie explained, “I guess I was just scared that you would freak out on me. I didn’t really know what to expect. But then you told me you weren’t mad and I felt this weight lift off of my chest.”

“I was never mad,” Penelope told her, “But I am a little confused.”

Josie let her eyes wander away from Penelopes as she took a deep breath, “I haven’t been in a relationship, been with anyone at all actually, in a long time,” Josie started, “Five years ago I met this guy. His name was Jack. He was everything a girl could possibly want. He was handsome and charming and sweet. And we got really serious, really fast. I think I moved in with him within 6 months. I was head over heels. But the funny thing is, you never really know someone’s true self until you’ve known them for a while.”

Josie paused, glancing over at Penelope. She hadn’t told many people about what happened with she and Jack. Only Lizzie, Hope, and her parents knew. Everyone else assumed they just broke up and went their separate ways because it wasn’t working anymore.

“Jack was a great example of that. He treated me so well for the first year. But once he realized I was invested in the relationship, things started to change. I guess once he knew I wasn’t going to leave, he decided to quit the charming gentleman act. It started with little snide comments, calling me stupid or useless when I’d made a mistake on something. Then he started comparing me to all of the other people he had been with in the past, telling me I wasn’t nearly as good as them. He started making these comments about me being pansexual, calling me a greedy slut, or accusing me of cheating on him. Every time I denied it, he’d get really angry and call me a liar. And if he wasn’t calling me a liar, he’d tell me that he believed me because I was too ugly or worthless to get anyone else. One time he told me I was his charity case,” Josie chuckled, but it was a sad, broken chuckle, “After a while, I started to believe it. I stayed with him because I didn’t think anyone else would ‘love’ me. And some days with him were good. Some days he’d treat me really well and apologize for being such a dick sometimes. But it always went back to the way it was.”

“Did he ever touch you?” Penelope asked quietly. The blood in her veins was boiling while listening to Josie’s story. 

“No,” Josie sighed, “He almost did the night I left him. We had gone out with some of his friends to a bar. He sent me to go get another round of drinks for the table and when I was up at the bar, some girls came up and started talking to me. She wasn’t flirting, it was just casual conversation while we waited for our drinks. But he saw me talking to her and he grabbed me by the arm and basically ripped me out of the bar. He was drunk and angry and the things he was saying to me broke me. I couldn’t take it anymore and I started yelling back and calling him out on all of the things he had said to me in the past,” A small smile broke out across Josie’s face as she remembered what happened next, “Just as he raised a first to me, the bouncer came over and punch him square in the face. He had heard the argument, saw the way Jack was treating me, saw the raised fist, and he knocked him to the ground in one punch. And that was the last time I saw him. I went home, I packed some things up, and I moved in with Lizzie for a while. I saved up some money, got this place, and I’ve been on my own since.”

“I’m so sorry,” Penelope said, reaching over to take Josie’s hand in her own for comfort.

“It’s fine. It’s been two years now,” Josie told her, “You and I got so close, so fast, and that terrified me. Because that’s how it happened with him,” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing her explanation, “I’m not going to lie and deny the fact that I have feelings for you. Because I do. But this is the first time I’ve allowed myself to have feelings for someone since Jack. The first time I’ve gotten this close to someone in such a short period of time. The feelings I could have dealt with and pushed to the back of my mind, but the reason I freaked out the way I did was because I acted on them.”

Penelope gave Josie a small smile and a soft squeeze of her hand to tell her that she understood.

“I don’t think you’re like him and I don’t think you ever will be, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not still scared of winding up in a similar situation,” Josie whispered as she dipped her head in embarrassment. She didn’t want to feel this way, she was embarrassed about feeling this way. She didn’t want Penelope to see her as weak or scared.

Penelope was still pinned in place by two dogs, but she let go of Josie’s hand to cradle her face, “Look at me?” She asked softly, tilting Josie’s head up slightly until their eyes met, “What he did to you was  _ not _ okay and I’m proud of you for realizing that and getting out when you did. And it’s okay to be hesitant towards new things and to trust at a distance. That doesn’t make you weak, it makes you smart,” Penelope told her, “But if something that I do, or something between us, makes you uncomfortable or scared, don’t push me away. Talk to me about it. Tell me what’s going through your head and I will do whatever I can to make you feel safe again.”

“Okay,” Josie responded, nuzzling her cheek unconsciously into Penelope’s palm.

“I won’t lie to you either. I like you too. I think that’s been evident. But nothing has to happen until you're ready. And if you’re never ready, I have no problem just being your friend, Jojo. I just got you in my life and I’m not ready to let you go just yet. So whatever you need to do, however much time you need, I’ll be right by your side through it all,” Penelope assured her.

Josie looked back up at the shorter woman, biting her lip slightly, “I don’t want to wait  _ too  _ long,” She admitted with a cheeky grin, “I haven’t had a kiss that good in a very long time... if ever.” 

Penelope laughed, taking Josie’s hand back into her own and bringing it to her lips. She placed a soft, caring kiss on Josie’s knuckles and said, “This will have to do for now,” before bringing their linked hands back to her lap.

“Thank you for understanding,” Josie said. 

“Thank you for being honest and helping me to understand,” Penelope countered, “You didn’t have to tell me any of that, but I’m glad you did.”

“I’m glad I did too,” Josie admitted, “What do you say to a movie night tonight? Given, it’s completely my fault, but I haven’t hung out with my best friend in a week.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Penelope replied, “Let me just use the bathroom really quick.”

“Okay. I’ll pull something up,” Josie called out as Penelope walked to the bathroom. Homer and Odey both leaped off of the couch to follow the raven-haired woman, which gave Josie a chance to move towards the middle of the couch.

She let out a relieved sigh, thrilled that she didn’t mess things up with Penelope. Her fear of the past had gotten to her and as much as she hated herself for those fears, admitting to them was the first step to getting over them and allowing herself to be happy again. And she truly believed that she could be happy with Penelope once she worked past them.

Penelope returned from the bathroom moments later to find Josie in the middle of the couch, searching through Netflix.

“How do you feel about a comedy?” Josie asked as Penelope took a seat next to her. 

“I’m down for anything,” Penelope replied.

“Good,” Josie said. Penelope had left a few inches of room between them, which Josie found adorable, but also hated. 

She didn’t want Penelope to be scared of being close to her. She didn’t want Penelope to hold back _ too  _ much because she feared they would never move past those fears and towards something good. So, once Josie hit the play button on the movie, she scooted closer towards Penelope, leaving no room between their bodies. 

To make more space, Penelope lifted her arm and placed it behind Josie on the back of the couch. Josie took this opportunity to be bold, to show Penelope that she really did want this, that she just needed to go slowly, and curled up into the raven-haired woman’s side. She rested her head on Penelope’s chest and asked softly, “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Penelope smiled, letting her arm fall around Josie’s back, holding Josie close to her body. Josie let out a satisfied sigh and rested her hand on Penelope’s abdomen.

They stayed like that well into the night, watching movie after movie, laughing and smiling together. When the need for sleep took over Josie’s body and she began to yawn, they decided to call it a night. Josie walked Penelope outside, Homer at Penelope’s feet, and thanked her one last time.

“Thank you for not giving up on this,” Josie said, “For giving me the chance to explain after I treated you like shit. For understanding and agreeing to take this slow and see where it goes.”

“Of course,” Penelope smiled, “Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow?”

“I’d like that,” Josie agreed, “Goodnight, Pen,” She leaned down slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Penelope’s cheek.

“Night, Jojo,” Penelope replied with a smile before walking down the porch steps and back towards her own home. Homer walked by her side, not even tempted to run off because he didn’t have a leash on. 

Josie watched until the two of them were back inside of Penelope’s house, then locked the door behind her and got ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it. After how Josie’s been acting the past 2 chapters, some explanation was needed. BUT everything will be a lot lighter after this and a lot cuter, I promise!!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of Posie fluff for you guys... Enjoy :)

The following morning, Penelope got up early, as she usually does, and made herself a cup of tea. She texted Josie a quick good morning text and told her that she had something special planned for them that day.

After the previous night and their talk, Penelope wanted to do something nice for Josie. She wanted to do something to show the girl that she was worth a lot more than the way that Jack treated her. But at the same time, Penelope knew that she had to keep their activities friendly since she and Josie were taking things slow.

Before going to bed, Penelope did a little bit of research on different spots around Mystic Falls and the surrounding towns, hoping to find something fun for her and Josie to do. She had almost called it quits around midnight when she still hadn’t found anything that suited her needs, but then she stumbled upon a website that piqued her interests.

The weather had started to cool down the further it got into September. When the school year had started, the weather was steady at around 85 degrees, but with each week that past, it dropped a few degrees at a time. Now, a few days before the start of October, the temperature had cooled to just over 60.

As Penelope sat at her kitchen table, scrolling through her news feed and drinking her tea, a response from Josie popped up on the top of her screen.

**Mojo Jojo: Just let me know when you’re ready :)**

Penelope smiled at the text and typed out her reply

**PP Park: You’re welcome to come over for a cup of tea if you would like**

**Mojo Jojo: I just got out of the shower. Let me throw some clothes on and I’ll pop by.**

**PP Park: Wear something warm enough to be outside today**

If she and Josie hadn’t had such a serious talk the previous night, Penelope would have made some flirty comment about Josie texting her while naked, but Penelope controlled herself and kept things PG-rated. 

While she waited for Josie to change and walk over, Penelope turned her kettle on again to heat up some extra water. She got another teacup out of her cabinet and threw a tea bag in for when Josie arrived. Just as she was turning her kettle off, Homer started going wild at the front door.

“IT’S OPEN!” Penelope yelled from the kitchen. She hoped that it was in fact Josie and that she wasn’t letting some random person into her house.

Her worries were eased when she heard Homer’s heavy, happy panting and Josie’s voice softly saying, “That’s a good boy. Roll over and I’ll give you a tummy rub.”

Penelope stopped what she was doing in the kitchen and made her way out to the living room.

“It’s nice to see that you came over fully clothed,” Penelope joked. She figured it was tame enough to not make Josie uncomfortable.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Josie grinned as she stood up from petting Homer. She made her way over to the raven-haired woman and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, “Now, I believe I was promised a cup of tea?”

“Ah, yes,” Penelope laughed, “Right this way madam,” She teased.

Josie followed Penelope back into the kitchen. Homer walked with them but soon passed them to go out into the back yard. As soon as he was through the dog door, he started barking and yapping into the wind and before Josie could grab her teacup, both Odey and Homer came running into the house.

“It’s a party in here now,” Josie chuckled. She looked over at her own dog and said, “I asked you if you wanted to come when I was leaving. You didn’t even look up! But when your friend calls, you’re here in a split second!”

“Face it, Jojo,” Penelope started, “He liked Homer better than you.”

“Based on the couch situation yesterday, he liked you better than me too,” Josie sighed, but she wasn’t actually upset about it. Odey had always been a good judge of character, so the fact that he loved Penelope was a good sign.

“No, I’m just his best friend’s mom,” Penelope told her, “And I give him treats,” Penelope finished as she handed Odey a biscuit from the dog food drawer. Homer looked at her expectantly and Penelope laughed when he took the biscuit from her hand greedily. The two dogs ran off towards the couch to have their snack together.

“So,” Josie began when Penelope turned to her, “What are we doing today?”

“That’s a surprise,” Penelope rescinded, her lips sealed to keep her plans hidden in her mind.

“Oh, come on,” Josie pouted, “Can I at least have a hint?”

“Okay,” Penelope thought for a moment, tapping her chin until she came up with a vague enough hint, “We’re going to be outside.”

“That’s a bullshit hint and you know it,” Josie rolled her eyes, “You literally told me that when you told me what to wear.”

“No, I told you that to make sure you didn’t come to my house naked,” Penelope replied with a straight face. She enjoyed teasing Josie. She enjoyed the little scoffs and the big eye rolls that the taller woman would give her. Penelope found it adorable.

“Mhmm,” Josie hummed, not believing a word that came out of Penelope’s mouth. The previous day they had both admitted to their feelings for each other and Josie had told her that “friends” was not what she wanted, she just needed some time before becoming more. That didn’t mean that she and Penelope had to stop flirting and she liked the fact that Penelope was still testing the waters with her teasing jokes. She appreciated that Penelope was being tame with her comments and only pushing the boundaries slightly until she saw how Josie reacted.

“Okay, fine… I’ll give you a better hint,” Penelope submitted, “We’re going to go shopping of sorts.”

Josie tilted her head in confusion, “While that is a better hint, I’m still lost.”

“Then you’re just going to have to wait and see,” Penelope told her. She motioned over to her kitchen table and said, “Now, let’s sit and finish out tea. Then I’ll get changed and we can head out.”

Josie took the seat next to Penelope and turned to face her while she sipped her tea. She was beyond curious about what Penelope had planned. They had only resolved their issues that previous night which didn’t give Penelope much time to plan, but the excitement behind the raven-haired woman eye was leading Josie to believe that she did in fact have a lot planned.

“So, about last week,” Josie started, a little shy while she spoke, “I’m sorry for the way that I acted. It was kind of childish of me. I guess I was just being an idiot.”

Penelope gave Josie a sweet look, “You’re not an idiot. And anyway, that’s in the past. We talked it through, we had an open and honest conversation, and now we just take steps forward.”

“I’m really glad I met you,” Josie said quietly, looking into her teacup hoping to hide the growing blush on her face.

“Well I hope so because you’re stuck with me now,” Penelope teased. She swallowed her last sip of tea and the got up to put her cup in the sink, “I’m going to go get changed. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen with me out in public like this,” She motioned to her plaid pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt.

“I think you look cute,” Josie replied with a quick wink before ushering Penelope off, “Now hurry up. I want to know what the surprise is!”

“Yes ma’am,” Penelope saluted and then went off towards her bedroom. Josie finished her cup of tea and walked it over to the sink. While she waited for Penelope to get dressed she washed the two cups that were now in the sink and put in on the drying rack.

“You ready?” Penelope asked as she came walking back into the kitchen. She saw Josie putting the dishes and smiled at the thoughts of domesticity that overcame her mine.

“Yup!” Josie said excitedly and bounced over to Penelope, “Let’s do this.”

\----------------------

“Where are we?” Josie asked as Penelope drove them down a winding dirt road. They had been in the car for about a half-hour with Josie scrolling through her playlists and showing Penelope her favorite songs. Penelope found that she and Josie had a very similar taste in music when Josie played a line up of songs that Penelope knew every word to. But the fun jam-session ended when they pulled off of the main road and onto the dirt path. 

“We’re here,” Penelope replied as they made their way into a parking lot just off of the road. There was a large cottage store in front of them with a sign above it that read “Lynchburg Orchards”.

Once the car was parked and Josie had gotten out, she looked around, “We’re going apple picking?” She asked excitedly, her eyes roaming between the lines and lines of apple trees, “I haven’t done this since I was a kid!”

“It’s not too corny right?” Penelope asked, suddenly shy about her idea of a fun day, “We can just pick a few and head back if you want.

“NO!” Josie yelled. A few people walking by turned to see what the commotion was about and Josie’s cheeks reddened at the attention. In a quieter voice, she continued, “No. I love this. Thank you.”

“Yeah?” Penelope asked, just to make sure, “Because if so, I have another idea planned for later.”

“Is that a surprise too?” Josie teased.

“No, I can tell you,” Penelope laughed, “I have all the ingredients for an apple pie, just no apples. What do you say?”

“Like a homemade apple pie?” Josie smiled with her question.

“Yes,” Penelope answered, “Now let’s go.”

Penelope took Josie by the hand, intertwined their fingers, and led Josie over to the entrance to the orchards. They walked under a large ‘welcome’ sign hanging between the two sheds and then up to one of the workers in the shed.

“Welcome to Lynchburg Orchards! I’m Amanda. What can I help you two with today?” The blond woman in the shed asked.

“We’re here to go apple picking,” Penelope told her with a smile.

“Perfect! You guys are going to go grab some baskets and a wagon and then follow that path,” The woman pointed towards a fenced-in walkway, “Until you reach the first set of trees. Those first 2 rows are Jonagold apples and the last two rows are Crispin apples. The rows in between are going to be marked with their variety. Each filled basket will cost you about $30, but most people get about a half basket.”

“Okay, awesome,” Josie nodded, “What apples are best for an apple pie?”

“If you want it to be tart, shoot for just Granny Smiths. A little sweet and little tart, go for Jonagold. And more sweet than bitter, half Granny Smith and half Golden Delicious,” Amanda told them, “Avoid shaking the trees or climbing them. It’ll just injure the apples. Twist, don't pull. And avoid the apples with holes in them. Once you guys finish up, just come back here and I’ll ring you up.”

“Okay!” Josie and Penelope said simultaneously. With a wave goodbye, the two women made their way over towards the wagons. Penelope separated a wagon from its group while Josie untangled the handles from a basket. Josie tossed the basket into the wagon while Penelope pulled it out from its grouping.

“So… Sweet or tart?” Penelope asked as she and Josie walked the instructed path towards the apples. Josie was walking to her right, just close enough that their hands would brush against each other every few steps. Every time that it happened, it seemed as though Josie would fall in just a little closer to Penelope for more contact.

“I like the idea of both,” Josie told her, “A little sweet, a little sour… kind like me,” She finished by laughing at her own joke.

“You’re such a dork,” Penelope laughed along.

After a few minutes of silence, Penelope stopped them next to the sign that said “JONAGOLD” in bold, red letters.

“This is it,” Penelope said, turning to Josie and dropping the wagon handle, “A little sweet and a little sour.”

“Pull the wagon down this way,” Josie said as she walked in between the rows of trees, “There’s a big group over here.”

Penelope grabbed the handle of the wagon again and behind walking towards the taller teacher. Josie had her back towards Penelope as she twisted off a few apples. Just as Penelope stopped the wagon and went to see where Josie was pulling from, Josie whipped around.

“Look! I have apple eyes!” Josie squealed, showing Penelope the two red and yellow apples that she had held in front of her. Penelope chuckled at the childish behavior, but it was Josie’s next action that had Penelope gasping for air between laughs. Josie puffed out her cheeks like a blowfish, apples still in front of her face, as she vibrated her lips together. 

“You… are so… weird,” Penelope gasped, holding her aching stomach with one hand as she swatted the apples away from Josie’s eyes with the other.

“I’m awesome,” Josie countered, smiling brightly as she watched Penelope recover, “I like it when you laugh like that,” Josie told her, “You look happy like that.”

“I am happy,” Penelope whispered, “I haven’t been apple picking for a long, long time, and I’ve never gone with such good company,” She told Josie.

“Well, get used to being around  _ such good company _ ,” Josie teased before turning back to the trees and searching for more apples.

Penelope followed Josie’s lead, pushing through the branches of the trees and locating the best and ripest apples. She and Josie continued their search, popping apples into the basket and continuing down the line of trees until they reached the end of the first row. It was as they were making their way down the second row, that Josie got close enough for their hands to start brushing again. Every few steps, Penelope would look down at their hands and watch as they touched, debating whether to reach out and take Josie’s hand or to wait to see if Josie makes the first move. But by the end of the second row, neither woman did what they longed to do.

“If you don’t mind, I want to go look through the Golden Delicious and see if we can grab some of those. They’re Odey’s favorite,” Josie said as she checked to see if Penelope had any argument to her inquiry.

“Of course,” Penelope agreed, “They happen to be my favorite too,” She smiled.

“I thought I was your favorite?” Josie teased.

“Well yeah, but I wouldn’t eat you,” Penelope laughed. 

Josie saw her opportunity to be bold and took it with ease, “That’s a shame,” Josie sighed, “I bet I’d taste pretty good,” She finished with a completely straight face.

The air immediately left Penelope’s lungs, her face heating up in a blush. She wanted to answer with something equally as witty and flirty, but the words were jumped in her brain. She opened her mouth to try her best to speak but the words refused to come out.

“Did I leave the flirty Penelope Park speechless?” Josie asked.

“I-- I think you did,” Penelope mumbled, “I was not expecting something like that from you.”

“I’m not as innocent as I look,” Josie told her, “But I’m sure you’ll get to know that side of me with more time,” She winked.

“Let’s... um… Let’s go get some more apples,” Penelope breathed out. She needed some time to recollect her thoughts and wipe all of the dirty images from her mind.

They made their way to the end of the orchard and began collecting some of the sweeter yellow apples for both Odey and Penelope since they were a shared favorite of the two. Penelope had gotten her words back and she and Josie made small talk about school and books as they picked.

Once their basket was just over half full, they decided to call it quits and make their way back to the entrance to pay for their fruit at the shed. As they walked, Josie reached out and took Penelope’s hand in her own and held it tightly as they walked. She didn’t let go until they were back at the payment shed and unloading their apple into bags.

“How’d it go?” Amanda, the orchard worker, asked, “Did you find everything you needed?”

“Yeah,” Josie responded, “We decided on a Jonagold apple pie and some Golden Delicious for the dogs.”

“And me,” Penelope added with a small laugh.

“Well, I’m glad you two had fun,” Amanda said, “It’s going to be $25.06 today.”

Penelope nodded and reached for her wallet. Josie did the same but was stopped by the raven-haired woman with a light touch, “I’ve got it,” Penelope told her.

“What about Odey’s?” Josie asked.

“I have to do something to continue being his favorite,” Penelope joked and handed her debit card to the worker. Amanda smiled at the comment, not fully understanding the relationship between the two but understanding that there was definitely some flirting going on.

“Once you two have these bags in your car, you should check out our market. We have some of the best apple cider donuts in Virginia,” Amanda told them when she handed Penelope back her card.

“Can we?” Josie asked, turning to Penelope.

“Of course,” Penelope smiled. With that, she took the two heavy bags of apples into each of her hands and told Amanda to have a good day. Josie gave her a quick wave before following Penelope back to the car.

“Can you grab my keys?” Penelope asked showing Josie her full hands, “They’re in my back pocket.”

“Yeah, sure,” Josie agreed. She reached around Penelope’s side and stuck her hand into the woman’s back pocket.

“Watch your hands,” Penelope scolded jokingly. Josie was just doing as she was asked, but Penelope felt the need to tease the girl after all of the blushing Josie had caused earlier.

“Don’t tempt me,” Josie smirked, pulling the keys out and dangling them in front of Penelope’s face. She clicked the unlock button and opened the trunk, letting Penelope unload her hands by putting the bags inside, “Off to the market?” Josie asked as she shut the trunk for Penelope.

“As long as we get those donuts,” Penelope replied. Josie gave her a wide smile before turning on her heels and making her way towards the large barn-like building. Penelope followed behind her wondering how the taller teacher always managed to make her heart beat twice as fast as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be part 2 of this "friends" date... get excited!!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story! Or send me something on CuriousCat ( https://curiouscat.qa/JojoPark7 )!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be sure to read my end notes!

“Jojo, we can’t buy everything in the store!” Penelope scolded her as Josie put another item into the cart. She had already convinced Penelope that she needed six packages of apple cider donuts, two of each flavor so that they could each take one home. She had snuck a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels into the cart which Penelope noticed a few minutes after, but decided not to bring up. She had grabbed a gallon of spiced apple cider, claiming it would be good with rum when they had their next fire pit. And now, she was trying to convince Penelope to let them take home 2 quarts of pumpkin spice ice cream.

“What if I promise that this is the last thing?” Josie asked nicely, giving Penelope a little pout.

With a heavy sighed, Penelope said, “Fine. But that’s it.”

Josie replied with a bright smile, one that made Penelope’s heart flutter. She gave Josie a small smile in return and then nodded in the direction of the checkout lines. As they were walking, a shelf of boxes caught Penelope’s eye and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What?” Josie asked, concerned as to why Penelope had stopped so suddenly.

“I just want to look through this really quick,” Penelope explained, pulling the cart further to the side of the aisle and stepping towards the shelves. She picked up two boxes, one in each hand, and examined them. Josie stepped up behind her, close enough that she could feel Penelope’s body heat radiating off of her, and read the labels of the boxes over Penelope’s shoulder. She chuckled to herself about how perfect the height difference between them was as she looked on.

“This sounds incredible,” Penelope said quietly to herself. Before Josie could ask which box she was talking about, Penelope threw both into the cart and then grabbed two more.

“And you were yelling at me about cleaning out the store,” Josie teased, “How many boxes of tea could you possibly need?” She asked while she watched Penelope take another two off of the shelf.

“A person can never have enough tea,” Penelope defended herself, “Plus, look at this! cranberry autumn with hibiscus, mulled plumb cider black tea, pumpkin spice chai tea! I need these!”

“Just like I need apple cider, 3 packs of donuts, and pumpkin spice ice cream!” Josie fired back.

“And the chocolate covered pretzels that you thought I didn’t see?” Penelope asked, raising an eyebrow in sarcastic questioning.

“You saw nothing!” Josie argued, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, really?” Penelope asked, stepping towards the cart to pull out the item in question. Josie slid in front of her, separating Penelope from the cart and stepping closer to the shorter woman. She placed one of her hands on Penelope’s hip gently, hoping to distract the girl, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Josie whispered, “What are you doing?” Josie asked, stepping even closer to Penelope so that their bodies were nearly flush against one another.

“Well, I was going to go look through the cart, but you’re trying to distract me,” Penelope chuckled.

“Is it working?” Josie asked with a devilish grin.

Penelope leaned in closer, whispering seductively in Josie’s ear, “It is,” When she heard Josie breath catch, Penelope pulled back and laughed, “But we really should get going.”

“You’re such a tease,” Josie mumbled, trying to control her heated face.

“Says the one who kissed me and then ran away,” Penelope said without thinking. She immediately regretted it, believing it was too soon to make such a joke. Just as she was about to apologize and ask Josie to forget that she ever said anything, Josie laughed.

“Touche,” Josie smiled. She noticed the regret in Penelope’s expression and sighed, “You don’t have to worry. We talked it out, remember? It’s okay to joke about it.”

“Okay,” Penelope replied.

“Come on,” Josie said, holding out her hand for Penelope to take. Penelope pushed their cart with one hand while holding Josie’s hand with the other as they walked to the checkout lines.

“Find everything you needed?” The teenage boy behind the conveyor belt asked.

“Everything we needed… and more,” Penelope said looking at everything she was placed on the belt. 

The boy laughed while he rang up their items, “That’s the one problem coming here. You walk out with a little bit of everything,” When he finished bagging their items, he said, “It’s gonna be $55.69 today.”

“I’ve got it,” Josie said, slipping past Penelope and inserting her debit card into the machine before Penelope could protest, “You got the apples. Plus, most of this is mine anyway.”

“I wish my girlfriend saw it the way you do,” The boy chuckled, “I have this job just so I can keep up with everything she wants.”

“That’s because she’s young,” Josie smiled, “Once you two get a little older, you’ll realize the importance of splitting the costs.”

“Honestly, I don’t mind spoiling her though. If it makes her happy, it makes me happy,” He told Josie, handing her the receipt.

“You’re a good kid then,” Penelope added.

The boy smiled in return, “Have a good day guys.”

“You too,” Josie replied, pulling the cart the rest of the way through the aisle and waiting for Penelope to catch up. 

As they walked out to the car, Penelope turned to her and said, “He thought we were a couple...” 

“I guess we just look good together,” Josie chuckled, “Does that bother you?”

“No,” Penelope responded, “You know that.”

“Maybe I just wanted to hear you say it again,” Josie smiled, “You know I’m not stringing you along right? I just need some time to get used to all of this.”

“I know,” Penelope assured her with a soft look, “I told you I would wait and I was being serious.”

“Thank you,” Josie whispered just as they arrived at Penelope’s car. After unlocking it and opening the trunk, the two girls loaded in their bags of snacks and tea before getting in the car. Moments later they were on the road and headed back home.

“Can you do me a favor?” Penelope asked as she turned onto the main road from the dirt path. 

“What’s up?” Josie said.

“Can you connect to the Bluetooth again and play a song for me?” Penelope had a specific song in mind. A song that popped into her head when Josie thought she had to reassure Penelope that she wasn’t stringing her along. A song that Penelope believed would tell Josie just how she felt about the taller woman.

“Okay,” Josie smiled. She opened her settings on her phone and reconnected to Penelope’s Bluetooth system. Once her phone chimed to show that it was connected, she asked, “What song?”

“Grow As We Go by Ben Platt,” Penelope told her, “Have you heard it?”

“No,” Josie shook her head, “I don’ think I’ve heard anything by him.”

“Well, that’s your first mistake,” Penelope laughed, “Just listen to the words. They’re important.”

Josie nodded and clicked the play button. Penelope reached out for the volume knob and turned the sound up because she believed that this song deserved to be played loud.

Josie listened intently, many different emotions crossing her mind as she heard each new line. Penelope hummed along softly to the song that she knew by heart, not singing because she didn’t want to interrupt the moment that Josie was having. It was about halfway through the song when the tears started to fill Josie’s eyes. It was as if this song was written about everything she had been feeling for the past few years. As if her story was being retold to her. As if Penelope was trying to tell her something. 

She looked over at Penelope, a tear falling down her cheek, and smiled at her. It was the only way she felt she could say thank you at the moment.

When the final verse started, Penelope began to sing it softly,

_ Tell me you don't wanna leave _

_ 'Cause if change is what you need _

_ You can change right next to me _

_ When you're high, I'll take the lows _

_ You can ebb and I can flow _

_ We'll take it slow _

_ And grow as we go _

As the song ended, Josie reached over and took Penelope’s hand off of the steering wheel. Penelope glanced over at her, curious as to why she did what she did, but her question was answered when Josie intertwined their fingers and brought Penelope’s hand to her lips. She placed a soft kiss on it, the same way Penelope had done the night before after their talk, and then rested their joined hands on her thigh. They stayed like that, listening to the rest of Ben Platts album in silence until they pulled back into Penelope’s driveway.

“I feel like I keep saying thank you,” Josie began, “But thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Penelope smiled, “You deserve to know how much you’re worth.”

“Okay, you need to quit it with all of this mushy shit before I literally combust,” Josie laughed to hide her embarrassment. The things that Penelope had said and done for her today were driving her crazy. Her stomach would drop every time Penelope spoke, her heart would soar every time Penelope would smile at her. She appreciated everything that Penelope had done with every once of her being, but it was getting increasingly hard to control herself around the sweet and caring woman. Every time Penelope so much as looked at her, Josie had to control herself from jumping into the girl’s arms and kissing her until they both were breathless.

“Only because you asked so nicely,” Penelope laughed. She understood that Josie wasn’t trying to be rude, only trying to preserve herself from any further blushing and embarrassment, “Now help me get everything inside.”

Josie nodded and got out of the car. She met Penelope at the trunk and took half of the bags into her own arms while Penelope took the rest. When they got to the door, Penelope wrestled the bags in her arms to get her keys and managed to unlock the door without dropping anything. Once inside, they placed all of the bags on the kitchen table and began to unpack them. Josie started by putting her ice cream in Penelope’s freezer, intending on taking it out later to try, while Penelope put her 6 tea boxes in her pantry.

While Penelope was in the pantry, she started taking out the different ingredients that would be needed for the pie and then placed them on the counter.

“We can leave your stuff in the bags so it’s easier for you to take home later,” Penelope told Josie, “For now, I got everything we need out for the pie.”

“So, what do we start with?” Josie asked, “I’ve never made a pie before.”

“Neither have I,” Penelope admitted with a laugh, “I just looked up what we needed last night.”

“I can pull up a recipe,” Josie suggested.

“Good idea,” Penelope agreed, “I’d say let’s wing it, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Josie pulled out her phone and started looking for a recipe that included both a homemade crust and instructions for a filling, “How about a recipe for ‘The Best Apple Pie in the Universe’?”

“Sounds perfect!” Penelope replied.

“Okay,” Josie said, reading through the recipe quickly to see where to begin, “It says to start with the crust and let it sit in the fridge while we work on the filling.”

“Cool. Let me get a bowl,” Penelope said, searching through her cabinets for a big bowl. She pulled out a large metal bowl and sitting behind it was the pie dish that she had tried to find the previous night, “Look! I found the pie dish too!”

“If you didn’t know where it was, what did you expect to cook it in?” Josie asked in a slightly judging manor.

“I didn’t think that far,” Penelope admitted, “I was too focused on taking you on a fun friend date.”

“Just a  _ friend  _ date?” Josie teased.

Penelope rolled her eyes, “Shut up and help me make the crust.”

Josie laughed and took the bowl from Penelope’s hand. She put it on the counter and looked through the recipe on her phone, “Okay, if you want to get out two sticks of butter, I’ll start measuring out the flour.”

“Aye Aye captain,” Penelope saluted to her, which Josie rolled her eyes to in return.

“You’re such a dork,” Josie laughed as she measured out the two and a half cups of flour, but only added the first one and a half cups. Penelope made her way back from the fridge and placed the button on the counter.

“What next?” 

“It says to cube it,” Josie said, handing her phone to Penelope to read, “We can double-time if we each do a stick.”

Penelope nodded and got out two knives, handing one to Josie with the handle out. They got to work on cubing the butter into little squares. Penelope finished first, her knife skills just a little better than Josies, so she added the salt and sugar for the next step. After giving it a quick mix, they both dumped their cut-up butter into the bowl and started to integrate the dry ingredients with the butter.

“This is a lot harder than it looks,” Penelope huffed as she tried to crush the cold butter into the flour.

“Maybe you’re just weak,” Josie teased, poking at Penelope’s arm as if to say she had no muscle. It wasn’t the truth. When Josie poked Penelope’s arm, she could easily feel that the girl was in good shape. She wasn’t overly muscular, but she was definitely strong.

“Okay, I think I’ve got it going. We can add the rest of the flour now,” Penelope said, giving the butter-flour mix one last turn. 

Josie grabbed the remaining cup and dumped it on top, “Do you want me to take over?”

“Sure,” Penelope said, shaking out her arm to relax the muscles, “I got all of the hard work done for you,” She smirked.

“What a gentlewoman,” Josie swooned sarcastically.

Once the crust was finished, Josie split it into two sections and stuck them in the refrigerator. She and Penelope then peeled the apples to start on the filling. Josie put some music on while Penelope cut them up, joining her once she found the right playlist. They sang along to the songs that they both knew and every once and a while there was a new song that Penelope had never heard but was happy to be introduced to.

“Okay,” Penelope said, dropping the spoon into the mixing bowl, “Let’s get those crusts out of the fridge and into the pie glass,” She finished as she opened the fridge and took them out.

“Do you have a rolling pin?” Josie asked. Penelope nodded and pointed towards a drawer near her kitchen sink. Josie went to it and dug through until she found a wooden rolling pin.

Penelope used her one hand to grab some flour from the bag and sprinkle it onto the countertop. She unwrapped the one ball of dough from its cling wrap and tossed it onto the counter, letting it splat slightly. 

Turning back to Josie with a completely straight face, Penelope said, “You have something on your face.”

“Where?” Josie asked, never even realizing she had touched her face with her floury hands.

“Right here,” Penelope replied, stepping forward quickly and running her flour-covered hand down Josie’s cheek.

“You didn’t…” Josie’s eyes bugged out of her head in surprise.

“Oh, but I did,” Penelope laughed and turned back to the pie dough. She picked up the rolling pin that Josie had put down and began to roll out the dough softly. She didn’t notice from the corner of her eye that Josie had grabbed a handful of flour from the bag and was standing behind her now.

“Payback is a bitch, Pen,” Josie whispered in her ear as she dropped the handful of flour over Penelope’s head. The white powder covered her hair, piles of it standing on the tips of her ears, specks covering her forehead and nose. Penelope stood there for a moment, debating her best way to retaliate.

“Why you little...” Penelope spun around, the bag of flour now in her arm while her free hand flung a fistful of flour in Josie’s direction. It covered her front, masses of flour falling through the neckline of her shirt, and getting caught in the curve of her bra.

“Not fair!” Josie yelled back, “I don’t have any ammo!”

“There’s plenty in your bra right now!” Penelope shot back, rearming her hand with more flour. She was ready to throw it the second Josie made her move.

Josie stuck her hand up the bottom of her shirt, pulling her bra with her other hand from the front of her body to let the flour fall into her open palm. She tossed the handful in Penelope’s direction, missing most of the shorter woman’s body, flour now coating the floor.

“Damn it!” Josie whined.

“That’s too bad,” Penelope laughed, stepping closer and closer to Josie until she was chest to chest with the woman, “Truce?” She whispered, giving Josie an out if she wanted to take it.

Josie’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t been this close to Penelope since the night they kissed. Not close enough to feel her breath on her own lips. Not close enough to see the raven-haired woman’s eyes dilate. Not close enough to feel Penelope’s beat heart, which was nearly pounding out of her chest.

“Truce,” Josie whispered back, her eyes falling down to Penelope’s flour-coated lips. At that moment, she didn’t care if she got a mouth full of flour, she just wanted to kiss the other woman again. Josie decided to take the chance, to throw caution to the wind, to let the butterflies in her stomach control her movements. She slowly leaned in, lips parting, brushing Penelope’s bottom lips so softly she thought she felt the shorter woman shiver.

But then she felt nothing. Penelope was leaning backward. Just enough to keep Josie’s lips from touching her own. Josie’s heart dropped, disappointment and embarrassment filling her body. Those feelings were quickly extinguished when a small, soft smile crept over Penelope’s lips.

“Not yet,” Penelope told her, “But soon.”

Without any further hesitation, Penelope got on her tip-toes and placed a gentle kiss on Josie’s forehead. She stayed there for a long moment, just enjoying how close she was to Josie, and then pulled Josie into a hug. Josie’s heart melted at the thoughtfulness and the understanding that Penelope had for her. Her lips drew into a smile, one that grew until it met her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Penelope in return, tucking her head into the crook of Penelope’s neck, and gave her a loving squeeze.

“Let’s finish the pie,” Penelope whispered into her hair. She gave her one last kiss on the head and then released Josie, “We can’t have the pie crust getting too soft.”

They finished the pie rather quickly, sticking it in the oven as soon as they were finished. Penelope washed the mixing bowls and utensils, leaving them on a drying rack to air dry. She turned back to Josie when she was done and looked the woman up and down. 

“Come with me,” Penelope said, waving Josie to follow her, “You’re a mess.”

Josie did as she was asked, following Josie out of the kitchen, through the living room, and down a hall that she had never been down before. Penelope led them into the last door on the left, which was a bedroom.

“The master bathroom is through that door. Let me grab you something to change into and you can get cleaned up,” Penelope told her, turning to her dresser and digging through some of her clothes, “Sweatpants?”

“That’s fine,” Josie nodded.

Grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a band t-shirt, Penelope handed them to Josie, “I’ll be in the other bathroom if you need me. There are extra towels in the closet behind the door.”

Josie nodded, fisting up the clothing and walking into the bathroom. Once the door was shut, Penelope got some clothes for herself, just a pair of running shorts and a new shirt, and made her way to the other bathroom. She showered quickly and got changed into her new clothes, taking the old ones right to the washing machine, and then went back to the kitchen to check on the pie. Josie came out about 10 minutes later. Her hair was wet but up in a messy bun on top of her head, the t-shirt was a little big on her, but she pulled it off well, and the sweatpants that Penelope normally had to roll, fit her perfectly. That reminded her of the height difference between then and she smiled at the thought.

“I could have gone home and changed, you know,” Josie giggled, walking closer to Penelope.

“Maybe I liked seeing you in my clothes,” Penelope suggested, turning to face Josie. She placed a hand on each of her hips, which was a little bold for how they had just talked about keeping things friendly.

“Well, you did make out with me after seeing me in your hoodie,” Josie winked.

“I know we were a little tipsy, but I remember perfectly that you were the one to kiss me first,” Penelope fired back teasingly. She gripped Josie’s hips a little tighter when the memories of that night popped into her mind.

Josie sucked in a deep breath, the feeling of Penelope’s hands on her making her weak, “If you keep this up,” She glanced down at Penelope’s possessive grip before looking back up and locking eyes with her, “It might just happen again.”

Just as Penelope was about to answer, the timer on the oven went off, breaking them from their moment.

“Saved by the bell,” Josie laughed, taking Penelope’s hands off of her hips lightly and letting them fall back to the woman’s side.

“It’s a good thing,” Penelope sighed, looking over Josie once more before going to the oven, “Seeing you in that shirt was doing things to my brain.”

Josie waited until Penelope had the pie out of the oven and on the counter to say, “Maybe I’ll have to keep it and wear it for the next time I want something,” Josie suggested, pulling the bottom of the shirt up slightly, just enough to show a small piece of her toned stomach.

“You’re such a tease,” Penelope sighed, “But if you want to keep it, I won’t argue,” She smiled.

“Good. Because I still have your hoodie and I wasn’t planning on giving that back any time soon either,” Josie explained.

Penelope shook her head slightly as she chuckled, “Do you think that pumpkin spice ice cream would taste good with apple pie?”

Josie thought for a moment, trying to remember the two tastes to determine their compatibility, but she couldn’t, “I guess we’ll have to try it and find out.”

“I like the way you think,” Penelope smiled, “You get the ice cream and I’ll cut the pie!”

They spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening on the couch, watching TV and talking about the day. By dinner time, Odey and Homer had come inside, presumably being at Josie’s all day, and began begging for their food. Penelope got up and fed the two dogs who ate rather quickly. They then joined the two women on the couch, each owner's dog curled up on their side, while Josie was curled up into Penelope.

“I had fun today,” Josie whispered but her words were quickly followed by a yawn. 

“Looks like I tired you out,” Penelope grinned a devilish grin.

“I wish,” Josie teased, picking up on Penelope’s innuendo, “Maybe one day,” She laughed.

“Yeah… One day,” Penelope agreed, pulling Josie a little closer into her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all that is happening right now, I just want to say a few things...
> 
> This year has been a shit show but that's because so many issues we have faced throughout history, have come up again all at once. For as long as I have been alive, and for a very long time before that, too many lives lost due to stupid and irresponsible decisions. Too many lives have been lost due to hate and to vitriol. Too many lives have been lost because people are divided instead of united. We as people, as the human race, need to support each other. I don't care what the color of your skin is. I don't care what your religious beliefs are. I don't care where you stand on the political spectrum. We are all human and we all deserve to live long, happy lives. The injustice that had been placed upon the black community over the years is sickening. It's time that we all stand up for our black friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers, and help to put an end to discrimination and racism. Black lives matter. They always have and they always will. But until the whole world sees that and truly believes that we will all have to continue to fight for it. All lives don't matter until the oppressed are safe, alive, and treated with dignity and respect. So until that day, the oppressed lives matter the most. Black lives matter the most. Fight for what you believe in. Stand with your friends and your neighbors and the strangers on the street. Fight for justice and equality and respect and dignity. Because if we all do this together, on a united front, one day soon this world will be a better place.
> 
> Stay safe. Stay strong. Be better. Do better. BLACK LIVES MATTER.
> 
> As always, Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7 or @JojoParkk7 which is my backup) if you want and we can chat about the story! Also, feel free to DM me if you ever need to talk. Especially now with everything going on.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!

“Penelope!” A shrill voice sounded from the doorway to Penelope’s room. It was her lunch break and instead of going to the teacher’s lounge as she normally would, she stayed behind to grade some papers.

Looking up to see who was shouting her name, Penelope’s eyes locked with an irritated Lizzie, “Lizzie! Hi,” Penelope said, giving her a sweet smile in hopes to calm the angry-looking woman down, “What can I do for you?”

“What you can do is tell me what the hell you did to my sister,” Lizzie glared at her. She approached Penelope’s desk with her arms across her chest.

Penelope gave Lizzie a confused but concerned look, “Is she okay? What happened?”

“Oh, she’s just fine. She’s too fine,” Lizzie snickered, “She won’t stop smiling and she won’t shut up and she is seriously getting on my nerves. So what did you do?”

“You’re upset because your sister is happy?” Penelope asked for clarification, “That’s a little messed up, don’t you think?”

“Well, it’s kind of annoying when I’m trying to talk to her and she just nods along with this creepy smile on her face no even listening to a word I say!” Lizzie argued.

“Well, I don’t know why you think this is because of me, but I suggest just letting her be happy,” Penelope explained.

“I think it’s because you because she won’t shut up about you,” Lizzie pointed out, “So, tell me what the hell you did to make her this way and tell me how to make it stop.”

“Seriously Lizzie, I don’t know. We went out this weekend. We went apple picking and then made a pie. That’s really all that happened. Maybe she just had a good weekend,” Penelope told her. Lizzie let out a loud huff, so Penelope asked, “Did you try asking her why she was so happy?”

“YES!” Lizzie shouted, “That’s why I’m here! Her answer was you.”

Penelope thought for a moment, tried to figure out what happened this weekend that would have put Josie in such a good mood that she was still a bubbly mess on Wednesday. Was it just the fact that they spent some quality time together? Was it that they made up and talked about their little spat from the previous weekend? Was it because “one day” was becoming more and more of a sooner possibility?

“Did you kiss her or something? Is that what this is about?” Lizzie questioned.

Penelope gasped slightly, shocked that Lizzie would say such a thing in such a public space, “No,” Penelope answered, “I did not kiss your sister this weekend.”

“Well I know that you did last weekend, so why do you seem so shocked about the possibility?” Lizzie prodded, her hands on her hips in a slightly judgemental stance.

“You know about that?” Penelope blushed slightly. She should have assumed Josie would have told her sister about what had happened. She and Lizzie were close, so of course, she would rant to her sister about all of the conflicting feelings she had been having that week.

“Of course I know about that, you idiot,” Lizzie sighed, “Sorry. No offense,” She apologized, “She’s my sister, my best friend, my other half… literally. She tells me everything.”

“Great…” Penelope drew out.

“Oh don’t worry,” Lizzie laughed, “The most I know is how great of a kisser you are,” Lizzie explained, “And how much she wants to do it again,” She winked.

The red crept over Penelope’s face, her cheeks heating up drastically, “Can you and I not talk about that kind of thing?” Penelope begged, “I don’t want to discuss kissing your sister with you.”

“Well if it becomes a normal thing, you’re going to have to get used to it,” Lizzie fired back, “So if you two didn’t suck face this weekend, what happened?”

Penelope let out a long sigh, realizing that she wasn’t going to get out of this conversation, “We talked on Friday. I’m pretty sure she was at your house after school and Odey came begging for dinner so I fed him. I sat on her porch hoping to talk and using Odey being fed already as an excuse to be there. We ended up talking and she told me all about Jack. We talked about whether or not we would try something more than friendship and agreed to wait until she was comfortable and ready. And to make up for the week worth of hell where we didn’t speak to each other, I planned a little friend date at an apple orchard. We came home, we backed a pie, we got into a flour fight, and we almost kissed again but I stopped it,” Penelope rambled.

“Damn…” Lizzie stared at her, “I have to tell you, I’m a little surprised.”

“About what?” Penelope asked.

“Well with the way that you flirted with my sister in the beginning, I was sure that you just wanted to get into her pants,” Lizzie laughed, “But that settled after the barbeque. Now I was just waiting for you to ask her out. I just didn’t expect you to be so patient and understanding.”

“Lizzie, I really like her,” Penelope sighed softly, “At this point, I’d wait a century to just hold her hand.”

“Ew,” Lizzie gagged, “Seriously, you’re cuter than Hope and I were in the beginning,” She explained, “Speaking of me and Hope… Our 1 year anniversary is next weekend. We’re having a little party and I know Josie was going to ask you about it later today, but I wanted to invite you myself. We really would like you there.”

“Of course I’ll come! Thank you,” Penelope smiled.

“Josie will give you all the information later,” Lizzie told her, “No gifts allowed. We don’t need anything other than everyone’s company.”

“Fair enough,” Penelope laughed.

“Well, unlike you, I only get one period off, so I have to get back,” Lizzie explained, “I’ll see you around.”

Lizzie left Penelope in her room, smiling and excited for Lizzie and Hope’s party. She had been so worried about making friends when she moved to a different state. But those worries were eased the second she met Josie. Then Josie introduced her to Lizzie and her friends. Now they would all meet in the teacher’s lounge for lunch or sit together at meetings or chat in the hallways. Although their plans were canceled they invited Penelope out with them for drinks. She was closer to that group than she was to any of her coworkers in the city. Now, she was headed to an anniversary party for her new friends with the girl who was stealing her heart.

Penelope was broken from her thoughts when another sound came from her door. She looked up and saw Megan knocking on the wooden frame.

“You busy?” Megan asked.

“Nope,” Penelope shook her head, “Just writing a big old F on your paper from last week,” Penelope joked.

“Yeah right,” Megan laughed, “I got an A on that and you know it.”

“You did,” Penelope smiled, “I liked it a lot. It was a great paper.”

“I know,” Megan said, flipping her hair like she ran the place.

“So what’s up,” Penelope asked.

“Well, I never got to find out what happened with you and Miss S. after I left on Friday,” Megan explained, “You were in a hurry after class the past two days, so I couldn’t accost you then. I have study hall today, so I figured I’d try now.”

“What is with people coming in here to probe me about Josie?” Penelope sighed, “You know, her sister was just in here asking the same damn thing.”

“So, what happened?” Megan asked.

“We talked,” Penelope told her vaguely, still feeling weird about telling her student such personal things, “We’re good now.”

“Boring,” Megan yawned.

Realizing that no much had happened this weekend that Penelope couldn’t share, she indulged Megan, “We talked and we worked things out. Nothing’s happening yet, but we’re going to see where it goes,” Penelope explained but Megan still looked bored so Penelope gave her a little more, “I took her apple picking this weekend.”

“Ooo,” Megan grinned, “A date?”

“A friend date,” Penelope correct, “I just told you nothing’s happening yet,” She laughed.

“Did you bring her out to Lynchburg?” Megan asked, apparently familiar with the surrounding orchards.

“I did,” Penelope told her, “We had a lot of fun. The market there is amazing.”

“Right?” Megan agreed, “Every time I’ve gone, I want to buy everything in there!”

“You and Josie both,” Penelope laughed, “We walked out with 6 packs of donuts, some cider, chocolate covered pretzels, and ice cream.”

“All of that was her’s?” Megan asked, slightly shocked.

“Yep,” Penelope nodded. A small smile took over Penelope’s face when she remembers that she had gotten some things too, “I got some tea too.”

“Based on your smile, I’m thinking ‘some’ wasn’t just a box or two?” Megan asked.

“She got 6 packs of donuts,” Penelope defended her actions, “Plus, I drink so much tea that 6 boxes will last me like a month.”

“You need help,” Megan judged her teacher. She was just happy to hear that her current teacher and her former teach were back on good terms. She had thought about it all weekend. Whether their talk was successful. Whether or not Miss Park was going to be in a good mood the following Monday. Whether she was right to get involved or if she made it awkward between her and Miss P. But finding out that things went well and seeing her teacher in a good mood eased all of her worries from the previous weekend.

“So, how are things for you?” Penelope asked, “Did you have a good weekend?”

“I did,” Megan smiled, “I took my little brother out to the park on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day, as you know, so we played at the playground together for a few hours and then went for ice cream. Then on Sunday, I reread Gatsby.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Penelope agreed, “How old is your brother?”

“He’s 7,” Megan said proudly, “He’s my little buddy.”

“Awe, that’s adorable,” Penelope smiled.

“Knock, knock!” Josie said from the door to Penelope’s room.

“You’re a popular one today Miss P,” Megan laughed, “Hey Mizz Salzman.”

“Hey, Megan!” Josie said cheerily. Penelope watched her walk across the room, noticed the bounce in her step, and the wide smile on her face. Lizzie was right, the woman was really happy today.

“I should get going,” Megan announced, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

“See you in 11th period!” Penelope called after her student.

Megan turned around at the door and gave Penelope a thumbs up. Penelope wasn’t sure if it was in reference to what she had said or a “good luck” when it came to Josie. Either way, she laughed it off and turned her attention to Josie.

“What was Megan doing here?” Josie asked once Megan was out of sight. Penelope stood from her desk chair and walked towards Josie in the middle of the room.

“Pestering me about you,” Penelope laughed.

“Really?” Josie questioned, “Why?”

“Oh,” Penelope paused, realizing that Josie didn’t know about Megan’s involvement the previous Friday, “Don’t get mad at me, okay?”

“Okay?” Josie replied back with a concerned look. The giddy smile that was on her face when she came in, suddenly fell.

“Remember how Megan came to ask for a letter of recommendation on Friday? Before I tried to talk to you?” Penelope reminded her.

“How did you know about that?” Josie asked.

“It’s kind of a long story,” Penelope sighed, “Basically I was pissy because I couldn’t figure out why you were avoiding me. I bit Megan’s head off in class and she called me out on it. I pulled her out of class to apologize and she put two and two together about why I was mad. Not that you kissed me, but just that you weren’t talking to me. So she came up with this plan to get you to stay after class until I was able to get there.”

“What happened to her hating you?” Josie laughed, completely unphased by the fact that Megan and Penelope were in cahoots to get them to talk. Realizing that nothing bad actually went down, the smile reclaimed its spot on Josie’s lips.

“Oh, we’re good now. When I made that deal with her, things changed. But after a little while, it got even better. She’s a great kid,” Penelope explained.

“Why is she so invested in us?” Josie asked, “Don’t you think that’s a little odd?”

“I did at first. But she told me why,” Penelope explained, “I was told everything in confidence, and I don’t want to break her trust, but the most I can give is that us getting our happy ending give her a little hope for the future.”

Josie didn’t push. She understood that a student’s trust in their teachers was extremely important and she didn’t  _ need _ to know the details, despite how interested she was. 

Stepping closer to Penelope, she placed her hands on the shorter woman’s hips, “Is that what you and I are getting? A happy ending?” Josie asked.

Penelope smiled, loving how that was the most important part of the explanation to Josie, “I sure hope so.”

Josie didn’t move, just tightened her hold on Penelope’s hips, and watched Penelope’s eyes darken, “So do I, Josie confirmed, “I have a question to ask you.”

“What’s that?” Penelope asked, taking Josie’s hands off of her hips before she combusts, and intertwining their fingers together instead.

“Lizzie and Hope’s anniversary party is this weekend,” Josie explained, “And I was wondering if you wanted to be my plus one?” She asked, “I know Lizzie already invited you, but she asked you to come as a guest. I’m asking you to come as my date.”

Penelope raised an eyebrow, “Looks like we’re getting serious Miss Salzman,” She teased.

“Slowly but surely,” Josie confirmed, “So, is that a yes?”

“I would love nothing more than to be your date to your sister’s anniversary party,” Penelope smiled.

“Lizzie’s been telling everyone it’s small, but that’s a lie,” Josie explained, “One thing you’ll learn about my sister is that she’s over the tip. They rented out a hall and everything. And it’s dressy, so I hope you don’t mind that.”

“If that means I get to see you all dolled up, I don’t mind it one bit,” Penelope grinned.

“I thought you liked me in your sweatpants and a t-shirt?” Josie asked, pretending to be offended.

“I like you in anything that you wear,” Penelope admitted before leaning forward until she was right next to Josie’s ear. What she was about to be said was not appropriate for a classroom, so she had to be quiet, “And I’m sure I’ll like it when you’re wearing nothing as well,” She pulled back after she finished and watched the heat take over Josie’s face.

“So scandalous, Miss Park,” Josie teased, “In a classroom of all places,”

“What can I say,” Penelope started, “I like to live on the wild side,” She laughed.

“Mhmm,” Josie hummed, “Says the one who was left speechless in the middle of an apple orchard by one innuendo.”

“You caught me off guard,” Penelope defended.

“Well, I should get back. I have class in a few minutes,” Josie told the shorter teacher, “And I need some time… cool off,” Josie blushed.

“Have fun with that, Jojo,” Penelope laughed, “Come over for dinner?” She asked just as Josie was walking out.

“Only if you promise to behave yourself,” Josie replied.

“We both know it’s you who needs to behave,” Penelope laughed, “I’ll see you after school Jojo.”

With a wave and an intentional swaying of her hips, Josie was gone and Penelope could breathe again. She had two more periods before the end of the day and before she could see Josie again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok folks... I hope you enjoyed it. This was just a little cute filler chapter but I had fun writing it. I'll update again soon because I had a lot of people tell me that this was your "breather" from everything that's going on right now. So if I can help spread the word for Black Lives Matter on twitter and give you guys a little bit of a break with this stuff, then I'm happy. I'll probably post Thursday morning/afternoon EDT because I have class and homework all day tomorrow, but I'll be back this week for sure.
> 
> Stay safe and continue to fight for what is right!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want and we can chat about the story or talk about what's going on in the world.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so i decided to split his chapter in half so that I could give you guys an extra update to continue letting this story be a break for you all. So this is the 1st half.

**Mojo Jojo: I’ll pick you up at 5 ;)**

**PP Park: I’ll be ready.**

Penelope spent the next few hours getting ready. She took a shower and shaved her legs while she was in there since she’d be wearing a dress tonight. When she got out, she dried her hair and curled it until it fell in loose waves, and then she started on her makeup. For a normal school day, she wore little makeup, just some mascara, and some light eyeliner. Tonight, she put a little more effort into it, adding some eye shadow and lipstick. It wasn’t over the top, but it was enough to differentiate between her subtle work face and her night-out face.

Josie was coming by in about ten minutes, so Penelope slipped on the black cocktail dress that she had for special occasions and a pair of black heels. She looked herself over in the mirror, straightening out the slit that ran from the bottom of the dress at her knee and continued up her thigh. She touched up her makeup quickly, fixing the slight smear of her lipstick and then grabbed the small purse that she was bringing with her.

She waited in the living room, slightly nervous until she heard a knock on the door. Stepping forward nudging a barking Homer out of the way, she opened the door. Josie was standing outside, a short, navy blue dress hugging every curve of her body perfectly.

“Hey, babe,” Penelope greeted. The moment she realized what she said, she felt the blood drain from her face. Josie stared at her for a moment, not sure how to react either, but she couldn’t deny the fact that her body tingled at the phrase.

With a bright smile, hoping to ease Penelope’s worries, “So we’re already at the pet name stage, huh?”

A blush covered Penelope’s face, the shade of her cheeks nearly matching her lipstick, “It slipped out. I’m sorry,” Penelope apologized.

“I never said I didn’t like it,” Josie laughed as she looked Penelope up and down. She took in the way the dress Penelope was wearing fit her body, the way it clung to her curves, the way it showed off just enough of her thigh to make Josie’s stomach tingle. It was doing things for her. Josie stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Penelope’s neck, and leaned in close to her ear, “You look hot,” She whispered.

Penelope grinned at the compliment, “You better control yourself or we might never leave this house,” She warned. Penelope wasn’t teasing or joking when she said it. The sound of Josie’s voice in that moment, seductive and almost raspy, drove her insane. The past week, she and Josie had cranked up their normal level of flirting to the max. What used to be teasing and lighthearted flirting was beginning to push the boundary between innocent and very, very inappropriate. It wasn’t the Penelope minded it, she actually was enjoying it. It was the fact that she and Josie were trying to take things slow, trying to hold back until Josie was 100% ready to commit to something serious and something real. But it seemed that with every day that passed, with every not-so-innocent comment, with every moment they spent together, it was getting more and more difficult for Penelope to control herself.

“We can be quick,” Josie replied as she pulled back with a devilish grin. She watched as Penelope’s pupils blew, how the green of her eyes was quickly overtaken with black. It made the pit of her stomach tight. It made her toes tingle. It made her brain short-circuit for a moment. And in that moment, she nearly leaped forward and captured Penelope’s lips.

“Don’t tease me like that,” Penelope warned, breaking Josie out of her trance, “I have a hard enough time controlling myself around you normally.”

It was the truth. Penelope had no idea where in herself she was finding such massive amounts of self-control, but she was. The problem was that she was quickly running out of the surplus.

“I’m sorry,” Josie apologized softly, letting her head fall in embarrassment.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Penelope told her, tilting her head up by the chin with her knuckle, “You just have to stop being so damn hot all the time,” She finished with a laugh. Penelope knew it wasn’t possible. Josie was one of the most beautiful girls Penelope had ever known. But it wasn’t just her looks that Penelope found hot. It was the way that she smiled, the way that she thought, the passion she had for reading and for learning, the kindness that radiated from her heart, and the happiness that helped to make Penelope’s life a little brighter.

“I guess I can try,” Josie teased, taking Penelope’s hand in her own, “Are you ready to go?”

“I am,” Penelope nodded, “Let me just grab my keys.”

While Penelope went to get her keys, Josie knelt and pet Homer who had sat watching the two women with a confused look.

“It’s okay buddy,” Josie assured him with a few scratches behind the ear, “I just don’t know how to control myself around you mom. Call it my biggest downfall,” She laughed when she realized she was admitting that to a dog.

“Okay,” Penelope said, coming back towards the door, “You be good. There’s food in your bowl and I filled your water dish. If Odey comes over, or you go over there, you better behave,” Penelope told her Pitbull.

Homer barked in response and Penelope didn’t know if he was saying “okay” or “don’t tell me what to do”, but she just laughed and rubbed the top of his head. Josie leaned down as well and gave him a goodbye pet before walking out the door and waiting for Penelope to follow her.

They were in the car and on their way to the banquet hall moments later. Penelope had put on some music to make the ride seem faster and Josie paid attention to the directions that were coming through from the Bluetooth.

“So, what should I expect for tonight?” Penelope asked.

“Drinks, dancing, lots of people you don’t know,” Josie explained. She got quiet for a moment and Penelope noticed the look of concern on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Penelope asked.

“It didn’t even occur to me until now,” Josie explained, “But my parents are going to be there.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Penelope questioned.

“You’re my date,” Josie answered, “They’re going to have some questions.”

“Ah,” Penelope hummed. She wasn’t really concerned, but she understood why Josie might be, “What do you want to tell them.”

“I don’t know,” Josie sighed.

“How about the truth?” Penelope asked, “We’re figuring things out.”

“You don’t mind?” Josie asked.

“Not at all,” Penelope smiled, “It’s the truth. We’re seeing where things go, we’re taking it slow, we aren’t anything… yet,” Penelope said. She added the “yet” to make sure that Josie knew that she still wanted something more between them.

“I’ll try to keep my mom from asking too many questions,” Josie told her, “She likes to get involved in my love life a little too much for my liking.”

“Well, she can ask me anything she wants. I’ll just keep telling her how much I care about her daughter,” Penelope replied, “You know since we’re sticking to the truth and all.”

“You’re such a charmer,” Josie laughed as she pulled into the parking lot of the banquet hall. They were one minute early, which gave Josie enough to time take a deep breath and prepare for the over the top party her sister had planned.

“You ready?” Penelope asked, taking her hand and giving it a small squeeze of encouragement. 

“As long as you’re with me, I’ll be fine,” Josie smiled.

“Then I won’t leave your side all night,” Penelope told her, “I’ll even drag you into the bathroom when I need to pee.”

Josie let out a loud laugh, feeling the nervousness release from her body, “You’re such a goofball, you know that?”

“And you love it,” Penelope teased. She didn’t know that inside Josie’s mind she was thinking, _you have no idea_.

“Let’s do this,” Josie said, letting go of Penelope’s hand to get out of the car. She walked around the back end of her SUV and met Penelope at the passenger side door. Penelope stuck out her hand for Josie to take and intertwined their fingers again. They walked in, hand in hand, ready to take on all the questions Josie’s mother had for them and all of the craziness that Lizzie had prepared.

“Oh my God, you look stunning!” A middle-aged blond woman said as she approached Josie and Penelope. Penelope didn’t recognize the woman, but she agreed that Josie did in fact, look stunning. Whoever the woman was, she had great taste.

“Thanks, mom,” Josie smiled. She let go of Penelope’s hand to hug the woman who she called her mother. Josie wrapped her arms around her mom and gave her a tight squeeze before stepping back and rejoining her date.

“And who do we have here?” The blond woman asked, her eyes darting over to Penelope, taking her in from head to toe, “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone!”

“I’m Penelope,” She said, introducing herself with an extended hand. The woman shook it lightly and waited for more of an explanation, “I’m Josie’s neighbor and coworker.”

“I’m Caroline, Jo’s mom,” The woman introduced herself in return, “So, you two are just here as friends?”

“Sort of?” Josie said shyly, looking to Penelope for help and support.

With confidence, Penelope smiled, “We’re figuring it out, but I wouldn’t say we’re just friends.”

“Yeah,” Josie agreed, “It’s new and I don’t want to mess things up with her by speeding through,” Josie explained, but the entire time, her attention was on Penelope. Their eyes locked as Josie spoke like she was telling Penelope more than she was telling her mother. Penelope gave her a soft smile, letting Josie know that she understood.

“Well, in that case,” Caroline turned her attention back to Penelope, “Don’t hurt my daughter.”

“Mom!” Josie scolded, her face filling with embarrassment.

“I’m your mother. I’m allowed to be protective,” Caroline defended.

“It’s okay Jojo,” Penelope laughed, “I don’t plan on ever hurting your daughter. However this goes, I want to keep her in my life for a long time. And I’m not going to do anything to screw that up. Plus, I’d be pretty dumb to mess up my chances with such a wonderful woman.”

Josie’s jaw slacked in awe while her mother stood there with gleaming eyes. Caroline turned to her daughter, “I like this girl.”

Josie couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, Penelope was able to charm her _very_ critical mother into loving her within moments of meeting her, “So do I,” Josie smiled.

“Well, I’ll let you two get inside. I’m stuck greeting guests and showing them where to go. Your father is somewhere in there, Jo,” Caroline told them, “It was nice meeting you, Penelope!”

“It was really nice to meet you too,” Penelope replied. Josie took her hand again and led her into the main hall. When they walked in, the room was filled with elegantly set round tables, with a dance floor in towards the back wall. There was a bar on the left side of the room and a line of buffet tables on the right. People had started to fill tables, sitting, and talking with other guests. Penelope didn’t recognize anyone until her eyes drifted towards the left side of the room. MG and two other teachers who Penelope only recognized from the hallways were sitting at one of the tables while MG told a story with animated hands.

“That’s where we’re sitting,” Josie said, following Penelope’s line of sight, “All the teachers at one table,” She laughed.

They made their way over to the table and Josie greeted the other teachers, “Hi MG! Pen, I don’t think you’ve met these two. This is Kym and Kaleb Hawkins. They’re siblings. Kym teaches US history with Lizzie and Kaleb is in the music department.”

“I’ve seen you guys in the hallways, but it’s nice to finally meet you,” Penelope smiled, “I’m up in the English wing with Josie.”

“You’re the new AP teacher?” Kym asked.

“I am,” Penelope nodded.

“Well, it’s great to meet you. Take a seat! MG was just telling us about this kid who wiped out in the gym the other day,” Kym said, waving to the seats at the table.

Penelope pulled out a chair for Josie, waiting until she was halfway seated to push it in closer to the table, “Thank you,” Josie said.

Penelope nodded as a ‘you’re welcome’ and then took a seat next to her. Mg caught them up on the beginning of the story that they had missed and the continued on, “He literally just went flying. I thought the kid was going to die. He hit the ground and I swear the gym shook. He ended up laying there for a few minutes before he started cracking up. Just laughing his ass off at what had happened. Everyone was around him trying to figure out the best way to help him, but then he just sat up and said “I’m good.” as if he didn’t just fly 6 feet backward and smack his head.”

“So, he was okay?” Josie asked.

“Yeah. Completely fine. I made him go to the nurse and she checked him out and gave him the all good. He came back to the gym and just went about his business,” Mg explained.

The conversation changed to small talk about school and about their kids and the assignments they were giving out. Kym was mainly talking to MG about it with Kaleb chipping in a few sentences here and there, but Penelope and Josie were only listening in. Penelope took this as her chance to turn to Josie and ask, “Do you want anything to drink?”

“You don’t mind?” Josie questioned.

“Not at all,” Penelope smiled.

“Maybe just a glass of red?” Josie suggested.

“You’ve got it,” Penelope nodded and excused herself from the table. She made her way over to the bar and stood in the short line. A tap on her shoulder made her turn around.

“Hey!” Penelope smiled, “Happy anniversary!”

“Thank you!” Hope smiled, “A whole freaking year. It’s crazy!”

“I bet it flew by,” Penelope laughed.

“It did,” Hope agreed, “I never thought I’d be this happy, but it’s like everything just fell into place with Liz,” Hope explained.

“She’s your person,” Penelope smiled, “When I first met you, the way you looked at her told me everything. Seeing you two together basically melted my heart.”

Hope grinned at the admission, and then asked, “So, how are you and Jo?”

She had been there with Lizzie to calm Josie down after accidentally (but completely intentionally) kissing Penelope. She had heard all the reasons and excuses as to why she shouldn’t have done it but Hope really believed that Penelope would be good for Josie.

“We’re good,” Penelope smiled, “We’re just seeing where it goes. I’m hoping that it becomes more, but just having her in my life makes everything a little bit better.”

“That’s what I said about Lizzie in the beginning,” Hope gave Penelope a knowing look, “When I literally bumped into her that first day in the halls, I knew she’d be someone really important to me for a long time. And the more I got to know her, the more I saw a future with her,” Hope explained, “Jo is just scared. She’s been through a lot and she’s been very hesitant ever since. But she has opened up to you more than she has anyone. So, don’t give up on her.”

“I won’t,” Penelope assured her. Before she could continue her conversation with Hope, the bartender asked her what she wanted. She ordered a glass of dry red for Josie and a scotch on the rocks for herself. Wine made her too tipsy too fast and she wanted a sipping drink so that she’d be sober by the end of the night. She wanted to give Josie a chance to have fun with her friends and family, and Penelope could drive home at the end of the night if needed.

As Penelope turned to leave, she smiled at Hope, “I’ll see you later.”

“Remember what I said,” Hope replied with a smile and stepped up to the bar for her own drinks.

Penelope wondered if what she and Josie had right now, would eventually turn into the unconditional love that Hope and Lizzie shared. When she was a kid, Penelope wanted nothing more than to get married and to have a big wedding but as time went on and life became more and more real, she looked forward to that big wedding less and less. The people who came into her life, the women she had relationships with, never stuck around. She had never been with anyone that she saw a future with, as Hope had put it. She had never understood any of them or opened up to any of them the way that she had with Josie in just a month and a half. But as the gears started turning in her head after thinking about what Hope had told her, that idea of a future because a little brighter. For the first time in years, Penelope didn’t mind the idea of getting married. She looked forward to the day she could be in love the way that Hope and Lizzie were. She looked forward to the 1st anniversary, to the possibility of starting a family with more than just dogs, to going to bed every night and waking up every morning with someone that she loved. She looked forward to this kind of future because her future had one new thing in it.

 _Josie_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd half will be a continuation fo the party and a little bit of what happens after the party. I think I'll post it Saturday? Keep the 2-day break going.
> 
> The next chapter will have some super cute scenes, so prepare yourself for the fluff!!
> 
> As always, I hope you liked it! And follow me on Twitter (@Jojopark7 or @Jojoparkk7 which is my back up)! We can talk about the story or about what's going on in the world or about anything else you please. I'm always looking for more friends!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Penelope made her way back to their table, placing her drink on the flat surface and holding the wine glass out for Josie to take. She had taken a few moments to herself before leaving the bar. She needed to process everything that had gone through her head after Hope had gone to order her own drinks. She needed a little bit of time before going back to the table and Josie so that she didn’t seem off. But now, being back at the table and having seen Josie’s smile as she approached, her brain stopped over thinking and her heart rate went back to normal.

“Thank you,” Josie said, “Lizzie just stopped by and said that they’re calling for dinner soon.”

“Awesome, because it smells great,” Penelope laughed. She looked around the table and realized that Josie was sitting along, “Where’d everyone else go?”

“MG and Kym went to dance, and Kaleb went to get a drink,” Josie explained. She pointed towards the dance floor and said, “Look.”

Penelope followed in the direction that Josie was pointing to find MG dancing around Kym while she threw her head back laughing, “I didn’t know MG had moves!” She chuckled.

“That guy looks for every chance to dance,” Josie told her, “He’s really good. At the wedding, Lizzie convinced him to break dance and he was doing flips across the dance floor.”

“That’s awesome,” Penelope grinned.

“Do you dance?” Josie asked.

“Not really,” Penelope sighed, “I’d just embarrass myself out there.”

“You’re that bad?” Josie laughed.

“Anything that doesn’t involve swaying back and forth, you can guarantee that I’ll fall on my ass,” Penelope explained.

“I’d pay to see that,” Josie tease. Penelope glared at her but ended up laughing because she couldn’t be mad at Josie.

“Are you asking because you want to go dance?” Penelope questioned. Although she wasn’t a big fan of dancing, she would do anything to see Josie smile. Even if it resulted in injury or embarrassment.

“No,” Josie chuckled, “I’m good. Don’t worry.”

Minutes later, the DJ came over the microphone to announce that dinner was being served. He called up a few tables at a time in order to minimize the lines, and Josie and Penelope’s table was called up in the second round.

As they stood in line for food, a bearded man approached them and said, “There you are! I’ve been looking for you, Josie.”

“Dad!” Josie pretended to sound excited, but Penelope could tell that seeing the man was something Josie had been hoping to avoid.

“You know, you haven’t called in a while,” The man scolded her lightly.

“It’s the beginning of the school year, Dad. I’ve been busy,” She sighed.

“Not too busy to get such a pretty lady for yourself,” The man smirked and turned towards Penelope, “Alaric Saltzman. Nice to meet you,” He finished with an extended hand.

“Mr. Saltzman,” Penelope shook his hand in more of a business-like manor instead of a friendly greeting, “Penelope Park.”

“A pretty name for such a pretty face,” Alaric grinned, “So, are you two enjoying yourselves tonight?”

“We are,” Josie replied, taking a plate from the stack at the beginning of the buffet line, “How are things at your new apartment?” Josie asked him, clearly not interested in his answer, but trying to be polite.

“It’s good!” Alaric told her, “I’m glad to be out of the old one. This one is a lot bigger.”

“That’s good,” Josie said, scooping some pasta onto her plate. She continued down the line taking different foods that interested her, “And the new girlfriend?”

“Stacy is good,” Alaric smiled, “She’s been helping me decorate the place. She says my last place had no ‘taste’ and that this was the perfect time to make it look good.”

“I’m sure it’s going to look great Mr. Salzman,” Penelope relied with half a smile.

“Well, we’ve got our food, so we’re going to go sit. Have fun,” Josie said, excusing them from the line and basically dragging Penelope back to the table as quickly as possible.

“Well, that was…” Penelope started but didn’t know how to finish.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Josie apologized, “He doesn’t have much of a filter.”

“No, it’s totally okay,” Penelope reassured her, “I just didn’t know that you and your dad weren’t on good terms,” Penelope said as she put her plate down in front of her seat.

As they sat, Josie gave her an explanation, “My parents got divorced while I was in college and it was… messy? He treated my mom badly through the whole divorce and basically tried to run away with her money. He and I got into a big fight a few years back and he said some things I don’t think I could forgive him for. The tension has been there ever since. I’ve just tried to keep my distance and I was hoping to avoid him tonight as well, but I’m glad I got it out of the way.”

“Well, the rest of the night, I’ll keep an eye out and I’ll do my best to get you out of an bad situations,” Penelope told her.

Josie was grateful that Penelope didn’t push. She felt heard and understood no matter what she said or did when it came to Penelope. It was so different from all the friendships and relationships that she had in the past. Hope came close to Penelope’s level of understanding, but even with Lizzie, Josie found herself having to explain a lot of her choices and her thoughts. With Penelope, though, it was easy.

MG, Kaleb, and Kym came back to the table with their plates filled and everyone sat and talked as they ate. Once it seemed that everyone was finished eating, serves started coming around to collect empty plates and replace them with dessert plates. Over the past month and a half, Penelope had learned rather quickly that Josie had a sweet tooth. She watched as the brunette scarfed down the slice of cake that was placed in front of her in record time. After finishing her last bit, Josie looked down on her plate and sighed. Penelope couldn’t help but chuckle at the woman’s disappointment, so she cut off half of her slice and slid it onto Josie’s plate. The girl’s eyes lit up and she turned to Penelope as if to ask if she was sure. Penelope only nodded towards the cake and continued listening to the debate MG and Kaleb were having about who they thought would wind up in the Superbowl this year.

About an hour after dessert was done and the plates were collected, the DJ came back over the microphone and started speaking to the crowd.

“Can I ask the two beautiful wives to come up to the dance floor for a nice little slow dance?” The DJ suggested, “A whole year of marriage and to commemorate it, I ask that everyone remains in their seats while Hope and Lizzie dance, once again, to their wedding song. Once they’re done, I’ll keep the soft mood going for any other love birds out there who want to join.”

The crowd clapped at the idea and all sounds stopped as Lizzie and Hope walked to the dance floor. The introduction notes to Amazed by Lonestar started playing through the speakers just as Hope wrapped her arms around Lizzie’s neck and Lizzies hands fell to Hope’s waist. For the first few lines, they stared into each other’s eyes, hopelessly in love, but soon, Hope let her head fall into the crook of Lizzie’s neck and Lizzie pulled her in close.

As they swayed back and forth in that position, Josie leaned over to Penelope and whispered, “I want that someday.”

“Yeah?” Penelope asked just as quietly, “With who?”

Josie gave her a look, one that said, “you know who” and followed it with a small eye roll. She knew Penelope was teasing her and she didn’t mind it. She just hoped that Penelope felt the same way.

As if Penelope had read her mind, which Josie wouldn’t have been surprised if she did, Penelope said, “Me too.”

A small smile broke out across Josie’s face. She leaned in closer towards Penelope and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. While she was close to her ear, she said, “One day,” in a hopeful tone.

Penelope grinned, her cheek heating up from Josie’s touch. The continued to watch the two women dance together until the song ended. The DJ came over the microphone once more and asked others to come up and dance. Hope and Lizzie stayed on the wooden floor and swayed along to the next song with all of the other coupes who approached.

Josie smiled when she saw a little girl, one she didn’t recognize, swaying along to the music with her father. Her head reached just over his belly button as they danced. The father held one of her hands to spin her around while the little girl giggled out fits of joy as she spun. Josie’s attention then wondered over to MG who was now guiding Kym across the dance floor in more of a waltz than a simple slow dance. Josie and Lizzies great aunt and uncle were also on the dance floor. For 87 years old, Josie was impressed that her great uncle was keeping up to the music. He never missed a step and led her great aunt around the floor like they owned it.

Penelope watched as Josie’s gaze wandered the dance floor. She wondered what was going through the girl’s mind. Before dinner finished, Josie had said that she didn’t want to dance, but the look in her eyes now made Penelope think otherwise. Josie’s eyes were filled with joy for all of the lovely people on the dance floor, but there was a hint of want in her eyes, a hint of longing that Penelope could see. She wore a smile that Penelope hadn’t seen before. A happy smile, but it was missing something.

Penelope could only connect the dots, could only try to understand what Josie was thinking and what she was feeling. Slowly, she slid out of her chair and got onto her feet. She stepped around Josie’s chair and stood in front of her with a soft smile.

“May I have this dance?” Penelope asked shyly.

Josie gave her a confused look, “I thought you don’t dance?” She asked.

Penelope laughed, “I can’t promise I won’t trip over my own feet, but I don’t believe someone as beautiful as you should be left out of the romance,” She explained, extending a hand for Josie to take.

“Are you sure?” Josie asked, “We don’t have to.”

“Do you want to?” Penelope asked, tilting her head down to meet Josie’s eyes.

“Yes,” Josie whispered, as if she didn’t want Penelope to hear her.

“Then it would be an honor,” Penelope smiled, her confidence slowly increasing.

Josie took her hand lightly, allowing Penelope to help her up from her chair. She walked them out to the middle of the dance floor, slipping in between a few other dancing couples, until they had enough space for themselves.

Where Penelope was normally shorter than Josie, her heels brough her up to an equal height. Their eyes were aligned, and Josie could see the affection radiating from Penelope’s forest green orbs. She draped her arms over Penelope’s shoulders and clasped her hands behind her neck. In return, Penelope placed her hands on Josie’s hips, squeezing slightly to let her know that she was happy to be there.

“Thank you for this,” Josie said softly.

“I could tell you wanted it,” Penelope explained, “You should have said something.”

Josie blushed slightly, “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Haven’t you realized that I’d do anything to make you happy?” Penelope said.

Josie’s blush got deeper, so she ducked her head slightly to hide it from Penelope. Penelope took this opportunity to pull Josie into her body, to let Josie’s head rest gently on her shoulder, to hold Josie just a little bit tighter to her body.

Josie let out a soft sigh as the next song began playing. She recognized it quickly and giggled slightly at the rock song turned slow dance. Josie had gone through her rock phase, listening to nothing but 70’s and 80’s classic rock while she was in her sophomore year of high school. At the time, this was one of her favorite songs. She had grown to love Aerosmith over the years because it reminded of her of when times were just a little bit easier. She found it ironic that such a song would play while she was wrapped up in Penelope’s arms, swaying around a dance floor at a party that represented nothing more than unconditional love.

Penelope smiled into Josie hair when Steven Tyler’s voice sang through the speakers. The DJ’s song choice was rather relevant at the moment. Penelope listened to the lyrics and hummed softly along as she swayed with Josie in her arms.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away and dreaming_

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever  
Ooh, every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

_Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, babe  
And I don't want to miss a thing_

“The irony,” Josie chuckled into the crook of Penelope’s neck.

“It’s true, though,” Penelope whispered, “This, right now, I would stay here forever.”

Josie’s smile beamed even though no one else could see it, “You know, for claiming to be a be a bad dancer, you’re pretty good at this,” Josie told her.

“I guess I’m not that bad at swaying back and forth,” Penelope laughed.

“It is pretty easy,” Josie smiled again. Everything about that moment was perfect. Being so close to Penelope that she could feel her body heat. Her own heart beating steadily but more happily than it ever had. The feeling of Penelope’s hand rubbing small circles around her back. It was all perfect.

“We should do this more often,” Penelope chuckled.

“I agree,” Josie smiled.

Their soft conversation was cut short when the DJ announced that he would be ending the last hour of the party with more upbeat dance music. Penelope looked at Josie with a fearful look, basically begging to get off of the dance floor before she was forced into making a fool of herself. She could handle some swaying back and forth, but anything more and she would be on her ass.

Josie nodded in agreement and took Penelope hand to lead her from the wooden floor. Once they were back at their table, Josie turned back to Penelope, “Any chance you want to get out of here?” Josie asked.

Penelope gave her a confused look, “Are you not having fun?”

“I was,” Josie said, “But I’d much rather go home and cuddle on the couch with you and the dogs. Parties have never really been my scene.”

“Will your sister mind?” Penelope asked.

“I don’t think she’ll even notice,” Josie chuckled, “There are so many people here to give her and Hope attention, she won’t notice if we slip out.”

“In that case,” Penelope smiled, “I can’t turn down puppy cuddled.”

“Hey!” Josie pretended to be offended, “I’ll be there too!”

“Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind those either,” Penelope teased.

\--------------

They wound up at Penelope’s house about an hour later. After saying their goodbyes to everyone they knew, and congratulating Hope and Lizzie one final time, they left the party. Josie had gone to Penelope so that she could change before making their way over to Josie’s, but that quickly changed when Penelope offered Josie another one of her t-shirts instead. Josie basically grabbed it and ran to the bathroom to change. Penelope couldn’t help but laugh and followed her, tossing in a pair of shorts before Josie was able to close the bathroom door.

Now they were on the couch, Josie curled into Penelope’s side as Penelope drew lazy circles on Josie’s bare thigh with her fingers. They had been sitting there in silence for nearly an hour, just enjoying each other’s company and watching Homer’s nose twitch while he slept. Odey sat next to his mom on the couch, sprawled out and forcing Josie even closer into Penelope than she originally was.

Breaking the silence, Josie lifted her head and gave Penelope a soft look, “Hey Pen?”

“What’s up?” Penelope asked.

“I know that I said that I wanted to wait. And I know I only said that a week ago,” Josie chuckled to herself at how impatient she must seem, “But after everything you’ve said and done since we talked, I trust you. And I don’t want to miss out on my chance with you because I’m waiting for the perfect time.”

“Jojo, you really don’t have to worry about losing me,” Penelope assured her, pulling Josie into her and holding her close.

“I know,” Josie sighed, “It just got me thinking.”

“So, how do you want to go about this?” Penelope asked softly. She wanted to make sure Josie was comfortable. Nothing that she could want could outweigh her need for Josie to be comfortable. She had been willing to wait for as long as it took Josie to be ready and despite the fact that Josie wanted to speed things up, Penelope wasn’t going to rush her.

“Um…” Josie said softly, “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” She chuckled.

Penelope laughed, “How about this,” Penelope paused to gather her thoughts, “Next Friday, I take you out on a real date this time. No friends date where we flirt with each other and pretend like it isn’t driving the other crazy. But a real date where I can show up with flowers and give you a kiss on the cheek. Where I can take you out and hold your hand. Where we can share food and laugh about embarrassing childhood stories. And then by the end of the night, I’d walk you back to your door and if I were lucky, maybe I’d finally get to taste those lips of yours again.”

Josie was out of breath just listening to what Penelope was describing to her. It sounded like the perfect night, a night she had never been lucky enough to experience. But if anyone was capable of providing, it was Penelope. Because Penelope genuinely cared about her. Because Penelope had put her own feelings aside to make Josie as comfortable as possible. Because she was Penelope.

“Are you sure you don’t just want to kiss me right now?” Josie asked, her eyes dark from the thoughts of what might occur at the end of their date night.

“You deserve to be treated right,” Penelope explained, “And as much as I would love to kiss you right now, I’m going to do this the right way,” Penelope told her.

“Okay,” Josie agreed, “Then I look forward to Friday. And I’ll give you a little something more to look forward to, too.”

Penelope looked at Josie with a confused smile. Josie leaned in and placed a gentle kiss right on the corner of Penelope's lips. It wasn’t a true kiss, at least not the type of kiss either girl wanted at the moment, but it was enough. It was something to hold them off until the end of the week. Something to remind Penelope that she was more than welcome to kiss Josie after their date.

“Five days, Jojo,” Penelope breathed out before pulling Josie into her chest and holding her tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer everyone! The wait is almost over... kind of :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter than the rest, but only because it's leading up to a really fun and cute chapter. So enjoy! Big A/N at the end. Please give it a read :)

The whole week, Penelope planned and planned and planned until she had come up with the perfect date. It took a lot of thinking and a lot of preparation, but come Friday morning, she was ready for what the night would hold.

With each class that passed by, Penelope started getting more and more jumpy. She was nervous, not for the date or spending time with Josie, but because she kept feeling like she had forgotten something and that things wouldn’t go the way she had planned them.

When she got to her break, which was two periods before the end of her day, Penelope was begging the universe for a distraction. Sitting alone in her room, grading papers would only lead to more anxiety but so would hunting down Josie in the break room.

Penelope didn’t have to worry too much though because the universe decided to be on her side that day. Just as her last class filed out of the room, a familiar face came skipping in.

“How often do you skip study hall?” Penelope asked as Megan pulled up a chair next to her desk.

“I can’t tell you that,” Megan answered, “You’ll get me in trouble.”

Penelope gave her a look, one that said ‘really?” but let it go, “So, what has you all smiley today?”

“That’s why I’m here!” Megan explained, her smile growing even wider. Penelope had never seen her this happy before, “I have some news!”

“Okay! Let me hear is,” Penelope smiled back.

“Well, I sent in you and Miss Saltzman’s letters for me,” Megan started. She paused, waiting, and building on the anticipation, “And I got in!”

“YOU GOT IN?” Penelope shouted, “That’s amazing!”

“Not only that, but they’re giving me a scholarship for nearly half my tuition every year!” Megan continued.

“Megan, this is amazing!” Penelope said, leaning forward to give her a congratulatory hug, “It’s hard enough to get accepted to Northwestern, but to also get accepted into the program you applied for… You should be really, really proud of yourself.”

“Right!” Megan exclaimed, “And I even got early acceptance! Like what the hell did you and Miss S. put in those letters of recommendation? How did this even happen?”

“I made you a deal,” Penelope told her student, “You work with me, and I’d write you the best damn letter of recommendation that I possibly could. But honestly, those letters are helpful, but it’s your grades and your hard work that got you in. So, don’t discredit yourself, Megan. You did this.”

“What’s going on in here?” A voice sounded from the door, “I heard a bunch of excited shouting?”

“Miss S!” Megan shouted again, “Get your butt in here!”

Josie laughed and continued through the doorway, “What’s up?”

“You might want to sit for this Jojo,” Penelope warned her.

“Okay?” Josie agreed, pulling a chair up next to Megan and sitting down. She looked between Penelope and Megan expectantly, but both of them sat with straight faces.

“Megan has something to tell you,” Penelope said calmly.

“I do,” Megan nodded. It was hard for her to control her smile, but she was following her teacher’s lead, raising the anticipation, and scaring Josie just a little bit.

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Josie asked, evidently worried.

Penelope couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore and as soon as she started laughing, so did Megan. Josie sat, staring at them completely confused but ended up laughing along when she realized they were screwing with her.

“So, what’s this really about?” Josie asked once they all calmed down a little bit.

“I got in,” Megan told her, “Early acceptance, massive scholarship, and into the advanced English program!”

“YOU GOT IN?” Josie shouted the same way that Penelope had when she found out, “Megan this is amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

“You know, I’ve always liked English class and reading and writing, but if it weren’t for you Miss S., I wouldn’t have fallen in love with it the way that I did. And you, Miss Park… we’re only two months into the school year, but you’ve only driven me to be better and to pursue my dreams. So as proud as I am with myself, I really do want to say thank you for influencing me so much.”

“Of course,” Josie smiled, “It’s kids like you that make us love our jobs so much.”

“She’s right,” Penelope nodded, “You were a pain in my ass in the beginning, but once you and I talked, you made coming to work and dealing with everyone else a lot easier. I love your talks and I love discussing books with you and I love the way you think. You’re going to do great things, kid.”

“Well, enough of the sappy stuff,” Megan sighed, “I’ll leave you two to do whatever it is your doing.”

Josie glanced over at Penelope with a confused look, but Penelope ignored her and glared at Megan, “Shut up,” Penelope said.

“Mhmm,” Megan hummed, “We’ll talk on Monday,” She told her teacher, “Have a nice weekend guys!”

When Megan left, Josie turned to Penelope and asked, “Is she still bugging you about us?”

“I wouldn’t call it bugging,” Penelope replied, “But more like probing me for more and more information every time she comes by.”

“Has Megan come to you and told you anything… important about herself?” Josie asked. She was hesitant to bring it up because she didn’t know whether or not Megan had told anyone else. But she trusted Penelope and she knew that if Penelope didn’t know what Josie was referring to, that she wouldn’t push it any further.

“She has,” Penelope said, equally as hesitant.

“She came to me the other day,” Josie started, “To apologize for keeping me in my room last week. I guess she figured that you had told me your plan once we worked out own things out. I just laughed it off the same way I did when you told me about it. I thought it was cute that she wanted to help and knowing Megan, even if you told her not to, she would have anyway. She’s a stubborn one.”

“That she is,” Penelope laughed.

“But I asked her why she did,” Josie continued, “Her answer was really cute.”

“If it’s anything like she said to me, I’m sure your heart melted a little bit too,” Penelope grinned, “Although, the first thing she said to me was ‘you’re gay right?’ and I was dumbfounded.”

“What?” Josie said completely shocked, “Just right off the bat, she asked if you were gay?”

“Yep,” Penelope laughed.

“Well, that’s definitely Megan for you,” Josie sighed, “I guess she just wanted to know she wasn’t alone in all of this.”

“I’m glad she’s finally coming to terms with it all,” Penelope said, “And I’m glad she wasn’t scared to come to us and talk about it. I didn’t just become a teacher to help kids learn, I became a teacher to inspire them and to help them through life.”

“Exactly,” Josie replied with a firm nod, “And I’m sure college will do her good. She’ll get to meet a lot of new people and find that support system.”

“Yeah, and she’ll be doing it at her dream school,” Penelope smiled.

“I’m so happy for her,” Josie sighed happily.

“Me too,” Penelope replied, “I needed a good distraction today.”

“Is someone a little nervous about tonight?” Josie teased

“Nervous is an understatement,” Penelope sighed.

“Why?” Josie asked, scooting her chair closer and taking Penelope’s hand, “You know, I don’t think there’s anything that you could do that would make me feel any different about you.”

Penelope could only smile. Josie shocked her sometimes. Most of the time actually. From the first kiss, which was totally unexpected, to that very moment where she was so calm and so sweet. A part of Penelope knew that Josie would be grateful and happy with whatever she planned, but Penelope wanted to make this special. She wanted to show Josie just how invested in this she was. She wanted Josie to know that she would NEVER be like Jack and that she would do everything in her power to make Josie happy. She wanted to show Josie just how much she cared for her in such a short period of time.

“Do I at least get a hint about tonight?” Josie asked. She gave Penelope a pitiful look, similar to the one Homer would give Penelope when he wanted a treat. The look almost broke Penelope. Almost had her spilling all of her ideas for their date night to Josie. Almost.

“I told you, it’s a surprise,” Penelope gave her a soft smile, “But, I can tell you to wear something warm. We’ll be outside.”

“Oooo,” Josie grinned, “Are you going to help keep me warm too?” Josie winked.

“If that’s something you want,” Penelope began, “Then I definitely won’t be complaining.”

“So, you’ll pick me up after school?” Josie asked. It was getting on the end of their break, which meant she would have to leave soon. They both had two classes left until the end of the day and until their night together began. Penelope had been feeling so nervous all day, but Megan’s news helped distract her. She originally thought seeing Josie would only make it worse, but her smile and her laugh melted every nerve in Penelope’s body and left her feeling excited and blissful for what was to come.

“Around 3:30. I have just a few more things to take care of for tonight,” Penelope explained, “And that will give you enough time to get ready.”

“Okay,” Josie grinned. Just as she was getting up, Penelope stood as well and grasped her hips. She pulled Josie closer into her so that their bodies were flush together. She could feel Josie’s heartbeat increase against her own chest.

“I just wanted to do this before you left,” Penelope whispered, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, the way Josie had the night Penelope asked her on a date. As she pulled back, she watched Josie let out a deep breath, “Yeah, that’s how I felt when you did it last weekend,” Penelope whispered again.

“Well maybe tonight, you’ll take my breath away in another way,” Josie grinned.

“Maybe,” Penelope smiled. Her hold on Josie was still tight, their chests still pressed together, Penelope’s hands still gripping at Josie’s hips, “I guess we’ll find out tonight?”

“If you don’t kiss me tonight,” Josie whispered, leaning down to Penelope’s ear. Her warm breath tickled against Penelope’s skin as she waited for Josie to go on, “I might just combust.”

“That would be a shame,” Penelope told her, “I can’t let that happen.”

Josie pulled back so that she could look at Penelope, “You know what to do then,” Josie told her, taking Penelope hands off of her hips and placing her at her sides, “I’ll see you tonight Pen.”

Josie left wearing a bright smile while Penelope stood in her classroom very, very flustered. Tonight, she was going to kiss Josie come hell or high water because she didn’t think she could wait another second. Every time she was around Josie, her insides fluttered and her heart raced. She longed to kiss her every time they were close. Longed to taste those lips that she had been lucky enough to taste once before.

Just a few more hours, and she would be able to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I posted a poll on twitter asking if people wanted me to make a Spotify playlist of the songs in this fic as well as what I listen to while writing for inspiration. Almost everyone said yes. But for those of you who don't follow me on twitter, I'd like your opinions too. So leave a comment below pls!
> 
> I can do two things. I can make a playlist on Spotify and share the link in the next chapter or I can just do an A/N at the end of the story with just a list of songs for you guys. If we do the Spotify link, I'll continuously update that playlist throughout the rest of the story. If we do the A/N, then people who don't use Spotify can go make their own on whatever music platform they use.
> 
> So just let me know what you're feeling, and I'll make it happen.
> 
> Also, I have a really busy week ahead of me. So I'm going to push the next update back one day. So instead of our normal 2 day gap, it'll be 3. The next chapter should be posted by Thursday night, and I promise you guys that you won't regret the wait!!
> 
> Anyway, I'm really appreciative for all of the comments and the CCs and the tweets that I get about it. I'm a small account and I love to write for fun. The fact that you guys like this story so much makes me so happy. So thank you. So much. You all have made my life a lot better and you guys drive me to write, to be creative, to explore new ideas, and to be passionate about what I write. I can't thank you all enough.
> 
> Now, enough of the sappy stuff before I turn into a complete mushball. Follow me on twitter if you would like (@Jojopark7 or my back up @Jojoparkk7) and we can talk about the story or we can be friends! 
> 
> Thank you again and continue enjoying the story!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive hahaha. Enjoy!!

Penelope’s hands were a little shaky as she stood in front of Josie’s door. Not so much from nerves anymore, but from the anticipation that came with every first date. She had stopped on the way home from work to get a few things, flowers, some wine, and a few other little things that she might have needed for their night. After getting changed Penelope made her way over to Josie’s.

Taking one last deep breath, Penelope gripped the flowers in one hand and knocked on the wooden door with the other. Her knuckles rattled against the wood and Odey started barking excitedly from the other side of it. It took a few moments for Josie to open the door, and when she did, her beaming smile nearly knocked Penelope over.

“Hey,” She smiled while standing in the doorway, “You look cute.”

Penelope chuckled and looked down at her clothes. She had on a loose grey sweater and black jeans with a pair of low heel ankle boots. She had put some makeup on and done her hair, but she didn’t go overboard because their date was more casual.

Before speaking, Penelope looked over Josie, “You look pretty good yourself,” Penelope smiled.

“What do you have there?” Josie asked, point down to the flowers in her hand with a large grin.

“Oh, yeah,” Penelope laughed at her forgetfulness, “These are for you.”

“So you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to get me flowers,” Josie laughed along while taking the flowers, “Thank you, Pen,” She smiled before leaning in for a hug.

“Of course,” Penelope hugged her just a little tighter.

When they released each other, Josie waved her inside, “Let me put them in some water and we can get out of here.”

“Okay,” Penelope agreed. Josie walked towards the kitchen to set up the flowers, but Penelope stayed by the door to give Odey some attention. She knelt down next to the dog who was begging for a tummy rub and started scratching all over his body. His back legs were wiggling with joy in the air and his tongue had fallen out of the side of his mouth while he panted happily. Penelope laughed, “I know. Me and Homer missed you too, buddy.”

Odey barked once in response which drew another laugh from Penelope’s lips, “And don’t worry. I’ll have your mom home for bedtime tonight. If you get lonely though, just go find Odey. The houses are all yours, just don’t make a mess okay?”

Odey’s tail started wagging and he rolled back onto his feet and darted out into the backyard to go find his friend.

“What was that about?” Josie asked when she came back into the living room, “He nearly took me out by the knees!”

“I told him that if he got lonely, he could go find Homer over at my place. Then he was up and running,” Penelope explained with a smile.

“He’s such a goof,” Josie laughed, “You ready to go?”

Penelope only nodded and followed Josie through the front door. Once they were in Penelope's car and driving to the secret destination, Josie put some music on. They held some small talk for some of the drive, and the silence was filled with their heads bopping along to whatever song was one.

It took about 25 minutes until Penelope was driving them down a road lined with thousands of trees. The reds, oranges, and yellows of fallen leaves and changing seasons swept up from behind the car wheels. Josie watched out the window, taking in the beautiful and quiet surroundings. She had no idea where they were at the moment or where they were going, but if whatever Penelope had planned was taking place somewhere that looked like this, she didn’t mind not knowing.

It was shortly after that when Josie got a hint of where they were headed. Penelope turned onto a side road that had a sign labeled James River State Park. She didn’t have a clue what they would be doing at 4:30 in the afternoon in a state park, but she was getting more and more excited to find out.

Penelope passed 3 different parking areas, continuing down the winding road until she reached the final parking area. She pulled her car into an empty spot and put it in park before turning to Josie and saying, “We’re here,” with a bright smile.

“And where exactly is here?” Josie asked, turning in her seat to look around the car, “It’s gorgeous out here.”

“James River State Park. About 100 feet in front of us is a clearing by the river and one Friday and Saturday a month, the park stays open until 10 for stargazing. It was registered as an International Dark Sky Park in 2019,” Penelope explained, “And if you wouldn’t mind helping me carry some stuff, I have everything we could possibly need for a sunset picnic.”

“What?” Josie’s jaw dropped, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Penelope laughed, “Now let’s go set everything up.”

When they got to Penelope’s trunk, Penelope handed Josie the blankets that she had brought and took the heavy cooler herself. They made their way that 100 feet to the riverfront and found a little secluded area a bit further down from the path. Josie laid out one of the blankets for them to sit on and left the others folded in the corner. Penelope started digging through the cooler, pulling out different finger foods, plastic cups, and a bottle of wine.

“Are those chocolate-covered strawberries?” Josie asked, bending down to pick up one of the containers. When she removed the lid to get a better look, she realized she was right. 

“They are,” Penelope nodded, “I didn’t know if you liked them but I figured I’d take a shot in the dark and assume you were like everyone else and liked them.”

“Well, you were 100% right,” Josie smiled, “I love them. I haven’t had them in years though.”

When Penelope finished unpacking their food, she sat down behind it and patted the empty space next to her, “Sit with me.”

“Pen, this is amazing,” Josie whispered as she sat and took in the spread of food in front of them, “Thank you so much.”

“You deserve to be treated to a nice night out. It’s the least I could do,” Penelope told her as she poured the wine into to plastic cups, “Here,” She said handing on to Josie, “I know they’re not traditional glasses, but we have to hide what we're drinking.”

“Ooo, so rebellious,” Josie teased as she took the cup. Taking a sip of the dry, red liquid, Josie moaned slightly, “This is nice.”

“It’s a Chianti,” Penelope told her, “It’s one of my favorites.”

“How did you find this place? I’ve lived in Virginia most of my life and I’ve never been here,” Josie explained.

“I did a lot of research,” Penelope laughed, taking a sip from her own wine cup, “There are some movie theaters around and a billiards hall. There are plenty of bars and plenty of restaurants. But none of that was good enough. I wanted to do something special for you,” Penelope explained. Josie just smiled at her to say thank you, so Penelope continued, “For 2 months we’ve been dancing around each other. And then you tell me about Jack and… I wanted to do something to show you how much I care. Not just dinner and a movie, but something that has some effort put into it. Sometime to show you exactly what you’re worth. So I kept researching and I kept finding ideas and then I found this place. I didn’t know what to do at first, but then I saw a commercial on TV for Gertrude Hawk chocolates and their chocolate-covered strawberries. That’s when the picnic idea popped into my head.”

“So, everything here,” Josie looked down at the different foods. There were chocolate-covered strawberries, an array of other fruits, different cheeses, meats, and olives to create a makeshift charcuterie board, cut up Italian bread, and a bruschetta dip, and small chicken, mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwiches.

“I made it,” Penelope nodded, understanding where Josie was going with her question, “Obviously I just bought and cut up everything for the charcuterie board and the fruit. But the bruschetta is my grandma’s recipe, the sandwiches I made and put together, and the strawberries are hand dripped.”

“You put a lot of effort in for just a first date,” Josie sighed, but it was a happy sigh.

“I told you, I want you to realize just how worth it you are. Just how invested in this I am. I can tell you as many times as I possibly want, but you prefer actions,” Penelope said, reaching over to take Josie’s hand. Penelope intertwined their fingers and brought their connected hands into her own lap, “I promise to do everything I can to treat you right. I want this to work, Jojo.”

“Can I ask you something,” Josie tilted her head slightly as she waited for an answer.

“You can ask me anything,” Penelope responded, “Do you want to eat while we talk? Or wait.”

“Eat. I’m starving,” Josie laughed. Penelope waved towards the food and told Josie to take her pick. Josie reached for some of Penelope’s grandma’s famous bruschetta, scooping it onto a piece of bread and evening out the layer. After her first bite, she let out a content sigh and said, “This is so freaking good.”

“I know,” Penelope laughed, “Now what’s up?” Penelope asked as she took one of the sandwiches for herself.

Penelope started eating as Josie began to speak, “When was it that you realized you liked me?”

“I think it started that first day,” Penelope explained after swallowing her mouthful, “You came knocking with Homer and I swear my brain started going haywire when I saw you,” She chuckled, “But really started liking you? I think that BBQ with your sister, Hope, and MG. That night while we were cleaning up after everyone left, it was just so easy and normal. After I went home, I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

“I think I had been thinking things around that time. I was so against having feelings for anyone that I kept pushing those thoughts away. But it was the day of the dog door that I finally let myself think about it. That night was the night I kissed you,” Josie blushed. She remembered that night like it was yesterday.

“That was a nice night,” Penelope grinned, “A really nice night.”

“Why is that?” Josie asked, pretending she didn’t know _exactly_ what Penelope was referring to.

“Well,” Penelope paused and locked eyes with the brunette next to her, “You’re a really good kisser.”

“Am I now?” Josie teased, “You weren’t so bad yourself, Park.”

Penelope laughed, “I may know a thing or two.”

They continued talking and eating as the sun began to set. Once they were full, Josie helped Penelope pack up everything, but the fruit and the chocolate covered strawberries which they were saving for later. After everything was put away, Penelope sat back down in the middle of the blanket and looked up at Josie.

“Come here,” She said, patting the space between her legs for Josie to sit in.

“Are you sure?” Josie asked hesitantly. She wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in Penelope’s arms, but she didn’t want to do anything Penelope wasn’t 100% sure about. She didn’t want Penelope to do something to prove a point, she wanted Penelope to do it because she wanted it too.

“Yes,” Penelope chuckled, “I told you earlier that I’d be here to help keep you warm. The sun’s going down, so I think now’s the perfect time to keep my word,” Penelope smiled and stuck out her hand for Josie to take.

Josie nodded and let Penelope guild her down between her legs. Josie sat with her back to Penelope’s front as Penelope wrapped her arms are Josie’s midsection. She pulled Josie into her, allowing the brunette to lean back into her until Penelope could feel Josie’s heart beating through her back.

“If you’re still cold, you can grab a blanket,” Penelope told Josie. She had her chin propped up on Josie’s right shoulder, watching the sunset from behind the other woman.

Josie reached over to her left side and grabbed one of the blankets. She spread it out over her and Penelope’s legs since her upper body was quite warm due to the position she was in.

The sun was barely visible at this point, just little streams of blues and purples across the horizon. Within the next half hour, the sky had gone dark and a few stars, the brightest ones, began to come out.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Josie said, “The sounds of the river, the crickets chirping, the moon, and the stars. It’s wonderful.”

“Just wait,” Penelope whispered next to her ear, “Not all of the stars are visible yet.”

Josie’s whole body shivered at the feeling of Penelope’s breath against her neck as she spoke. Penelope felt the movement and grinned at the power she had over Josie’s body. Deciding to be bold, Penelope leaned down and placed a kiss on Josie’s shoulder, right where her shoulder met her neck. Josie took in a silent gasp and then let out a deep breath as she relaxed more into Penelope.

“Are you okay?” Penelope whispered again.

“Yes,” Josie replied just as quietly.

“So, this doesn’t bother you?” Penelope asked, leaving another soft kiss a few centimeters above the last one. Josie let out a soft moan at the feeling and that was enough to tell Penelope to keep going. After a few moments, she left another kiss a bit higher. And then another even higher. The further she traveled up Josie’s neck, the more pressure she left. By the time Penelope reached Josie’s pulse point, Josie was straining her neck to the side, opening more room for Penelope’s mouth. Josie’s breathing was heavy, and her heart was racing. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss the woman who was driving her insane.

“Careful Pen,” Josie warned in a soft, seductive voice. She didn’t need to explain herself further because Penelope just chuckled against the skin of her throat like she had no intention of stopping. It didn’t matter what Josie was warning her about because they were both on the same page.

Penelope left another kiss, an open-mouthed kiss just under her jawline, which made Josie squirm. Before Penelope had another chance to tease the girl against her, Josie had flipped around and straddled Penelope’s lap. Josie stayed centimeters from Penelope’s face, waiting and watching for some sort of go-ahead.

Penelope grinned at her and gripped Josie’s hips tighter. Josie placed on of her hands behind Penelope’s neck and pulled her in. As their lips touched, a spark of electricity flew through each woman’s body. What they had been waiting to do for nearly a month was finally happening. Penelope was finally tasing Josie’s lips again and this time, Josie wasn’t going to run away. This kiss was purely out of attraction and need, and not to be blamed on the alcohol. This was the beginning of something incredible.

Josie’s teeth pulled slightly on Penelope’s bottom lip, taking control of the kiss, and leaving Penelope breathless. To soothe the small amount of pain she probably caused Penelope, Josie swiped her tongue across the minor wound, basically begging for entrance. Penelope opened her mouth slightly, granting access to Josie’s needy tongue, and moved one of her hands up to Josie’s jaw. Their mouths and tongued moved in unison as the stars rose above them. Josie pushed on Penelope’s shoulder roughly, forcing her onto the ground and their lips breaking apart. She climbed further on top of the raven-haired woman, her hips now just over Penelope’s. With a slight roll of her hips, Josie leaned back down to continue what they were doing. She continued the hips rolls, making Penelope more and more frustrated with the amount of control Josie had over her.

Quickly, Penelope gripped Josie’s hips and flipped them over. Their position now switched with Penelope on top, she mimicked what Josie had said to her earlier, “Careful Jojo.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be,” Josie whispered up to the woman who was on top of her, “Now shut up and kiss me.”

Penelope didn’t even argue. After two months of temptation, a month of missing those soft, plump lips, Penelope refused to give that up again. She dove back into Josie, kissing her until they were both breathless and in need of a break. Just as she was about to pull away and reconnect her lips to that spot she found on jaw, a shout made them both jump.

“Hey!” A male voice shouted from the distance, “Sorry to interrupt! But we’re closing in 15 minutes! I suggest you pack up and finish this at home!”

Penelope looked down at Josie who was blushing uncontrollably. With a small laugh, she said, “Looks like we’re going to have to pick this up later, Jojo.”

Rolling off the brunette’s body, Penelope stood up and extended a hand down to help Josie do the same. Josie took it and once she was up, she and Penelope began packing up their picnic in silence. They made their way back to the car by cell phone flashlight, packed up the trunk, and started on their way home.

There was a small amount of awkward tension in the car, mainly because they got caught in the middle of a major make out session, but Penelope knew how to fix it. While still paying attention to the road, she reached over with one hand and found Josie’s in her lap. Penelope took it in her own and pulled their intertwined hands onto her thigh. She glanced over at Josie with a small smile, just to relieve some of her worries and the tension in the air. Josie smiled back and laughed.

“I can’t believe we got caught,” Josie chuckled, “It’s like we’re two horny teenagers all over again.”

“Apparently so,” Penelope sighed, “But I can’t say I’m too upset about it.”

“Me either,” Josie grinned, “That was… a lot of fun.”

They pulled back into Penelope’s driveway about 15 minutes later and Penelope met Josie on the passenger side. She opened the door for the brunette, allowing her to step out.

“I’ll walk you back,” Penelope said, taking Josie’s hand and letting the girl lead her to her front porch.

Under the porch light, Josie’s brown eyes glowed more like caramel. Her lips were still slightly swollen and the back of her hair just a bit messy. They stood across from each other in front of the door, both deciding the best way to go about this. Penelope had told Josie last week that she wanted to kiss her after walking her back home, and Penelope still did. She just wanted to make sure Josie was okay with it. Okay after their interrupted mark-out session on the bank of the river. Okay after their semi-awkward ride home. Okay after their two months of waiting.

“Do you maybe want to come inside?” Josie asked, her eyes darkening with her question.

Penelope watched her for a moment, “As much as I would really, really love to, maybe it’s best that we keep taking this slow.”

Josie nodded, completely understanding where Penelope was coming from even though she had hoped for a little bit more tonight.

Penelope slipped two fingers under Josie’s chin, lifting her head just enough to meet Penelope’s own eyes. She let her fingers trace up Josie’s jaw until she was holding the girl’s face in her hands, “We have all the time in the world Jojo.”

With that, Penelope leaned up to reach the brunette’s lips and kissed her slowly. Josie responded back quickly, tilting her head back down so Penelope wasn’t reaching too far. She let her bottom lip brush against Penelope’s softly, then taking her top lip in-between her own and sucking on it lightly.

After a moment, Penelope began to pull back, but only just enough. She let her forehead rest on Josie’s, their lips only millimeters apart, “I had fun tonight Josie and I hope we can do it again soon. But for now, get some sleep,” Penelope finished by placing one last soft kiss against Josie’s lips.

“Okay,” Josie said breathlessly while her eyes were still closed. As they fluttered open, she watched Penelope start to make her way down the porch steps, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Pen?”

“Of course,” Penelope smiled before making her way across the lawn. Once she reached her own porch, she turned back to Josie and waved goodbye. She watched until the other woman entered her house before going into her own.

Homer came running up to Penelope as soon as she walked in the door. He sat at her feet, staring up at her with his puppy dog eyes, begging to be pet.

“Hey buddy,” Penelope laughed, reaching down to scratch behind his ears and under his collar, “I missed you too.”

Homer purred slightly, the way that dogs sometimes do when they’re happy, and the licked his mother’s hand.

“I’m thinking that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Josie and Odey, bud,” Penelope told him, “Would you like that?”

Homer barked softly, recognizing that he wasn’t supposed to bark too much once it was dark out. Penelope had trained him well in that way.

“Well, let’s go get ready for bed and we’ll see if Odey wants to play tomorrow,” Penelope told her dog, waving for him to follow her once she locked the door.

Homer jumped into bed, laying on the left side as he did most nights, while Penelope got changed for bed. She used the bathroom and brushed her teeth before climbing in next to Homer.

“Goodnight, Homer,” Penelope whispered, turning onto her side and drifting off to thoughts of holding Josie in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! I'm going to try to post this weekend, but I have a final on Friday and a big project due this weekend, so no promises. But I won't make you guys wait too long!
> 
> Here's the link to the Spotify playlist for this story!! I'll keep updating it as we go through, but for now, there's about 2 hours of stuff on it.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6G2d4JweOVE6ruwbetf8Al?si=mosFIzF8Q6OXwUbVP-jUMQ
> 
> Follow me on Twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want to be friends or to talk about the story!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's a bit late. I had some homework that I forgot about this morning lol. enjoy!

Josie woke up the next morning happier than she had ever been. The moment her eyes fluttered open, the memories of the previous night started coming back to her. Penelope picking her up with flowers in hand. Penelope driving them out to a riverfront. The spread of food that Penelope had prepared for them. The cool air that came off the water. The sounds of the river’s current against the rocky bed. The sunset that outdid every other sunset Josie had ever seen. The feeling of being pressed up against Penelope’s front and the warmth that came with it. The soft neck kisses that Penelope teased her with, creeping further and further up Josie’s neck until she couldn’t take it anymore. The taste of Penelope’s lips and feverish heat that took over Josie’s body as they kissed. The rocking on her hips against Penelope as she deepened the kiss. Getting caught by the security guard while acting like horny teenagers. The walk back to Josie’s door. The soft kisses filled with longing for more, so different from the kisses they shared only an hour prior to that. What made Josie smile the most though, was remembering Penelope tell her that they had “all the time in the world”.

Josie let her eyes adjust to her surroundings, taking in a deep breath of the fresh, crisp autumn air that was coming through her open bedroom window. She stayed laying down, just letting her body adjust to the light and to being awake. After a few minutes, she rolled over into a stretch and saw something that made her laugh.

At the foot of the bed, Odey was lying down with his head rested on Homer’s butt. This was the first time she had woken up to both dogs in her bed. Normally, if Homer were at her house throughout the day, he would always go home for dinner and stay at home the remainder of the night. He never came back until he had been given breakfast the following morning. Odey would run over to Penelope’s house just after he had been fed if Homer wasn’t already barking for him to come outside or barging into Josie’s kitchen to find his buddy. But never had either dog decided to sleep at the opposite owner’s house.

Josie rolled back to the other side and reached for her phone. She didn’t have any notifications meaning Penelope either didn’t know Homer wasn’t home or Penelope wasn’t awake yet. She decided to send her a quick good morning text letting her know the situation because she knew Penelope would find it as funny and charming as she did.

**Mojo Jojo: Good morning <3**

**Mojo Jojo: I currently have two dogs in bed with me… Wanna join?**

Josie closed the messaging app and opened her news app. She scrolled through, reading different headlines, and trying to find something that interested her. Just as she was about to click on an article to expand it, a message notification popped up.

**PP Park: Depends… Is the dress code for the bed clothing optional? ;)**

Josie let out a loud laugh which woke Homer up. He lifted her head slightly and glared at her for interrupting his precious sleep before laying his head back down and resting again.

**Mojo Jojo: Penelope! Not in front of the children!**

**PP Park: Jojo, they’re dogs…**

**Mojo Jojo: Your point?**

**PP Park: You know what, your right. On my way!**

**PP Park: FULLY CLOTHED!**

**Mojo Jojo: Gate and back door are unlocked**

**PP Park: 10-4**

Josie sat up until she was able to rest her back against the headboard and waited for Penelope. The smile on her face had only grown wider since texting Penelope and she knew it would get even bigger once the woman was actually there.

A quick knock sounded against the door frame to Josie’s bedroom. Penelope popped her head in and gave Josie a bright smile.

“Hey there,” Penelope said once Josie looked up. Homer raised his head again the second he heard his mom and let out a soft purr, “Don’t be so cute Homer. You stole my girl last night. Not cool dude.”

Josie laughed, “Your girl, huh?”

“Well, I mean…” Penelope blushed slightly as she stepped into the room, “Only if you want to be.”

“I would love to be,” Josie chuckled, stretching her arms up over her head, “But if this is how you're asking me to be your girlfriend, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

“Is that an option?” Penelope asked, “Girlfriend?”

“After last night, I’d hope so,” Josie giggled. She patted her hand against the open space on the right side of the bed, “Come here.”

“Yes ma’am,” Penelope grinned, walking towards the empty side of the bed, kicking off her shoes, and climbing in next to Josie. She mirrored the taller woman’s position, resting her back against the headboard, and stuck her hand out towards Josie. With a wiggle of Penelope’s fingers, Josie intertwined her’s into Penelope’s and let out a content sigh, “So, Miss Saltzman. I have a very important question for you.”

“And what would that be, Miss Park?” Josie teased back.

“Well, I’d consider last night quiet the success. Do you agree?” Penelope asked, trying to continue the professional façade even though she was referring to making out with her coworker while laying in bed with her.

“Very, very successful,” Josie nodded.

“It’s something that I’d like to keep doing,” Penelope continued.

“Me too,” Josie smiled.

“So, that leads me to my question,” Penelope paused. Josie turned her full attention to Penelope, waiting patiently, “I think two months of incessant flirting was plenty of build-up. Can we make this official? Will you be my girlfriend?”

“I would love to be,” Josie smiled, “But, I require one more thing.”

“Anything,” Penelope assured her. Even though she didn’t know what she was agreeing to, Penelope was willing to give Josie whatever she wanted as long as it made the girl happy.

“Another kiss,” Josie told her.

“I think I can do that,” Penelope nodded excitedly. She leaned in and placed a soft peck onto Josie’s lips, “God, I love doing that,” Penelope whispered in between kisses.

As Penelope was increasing the intensity of the kiss, Josie pulled back quickly. The smell of mint on Penelope’s breath reminded Josie, “No. I haven’t brushed my teeth yet!” She explained.

“Nothing can be worse than Homer’s breath after he eats,” Penelope laughed, “But if it makes you feel better, we can wait.”

“Give me 5 minutes,” Josie said, slipping out from under the covers and rushing off to the bathroom.

Penelope stayed in bed but leaned towards the foot of the bed to pet the two dogs. They were both awake and alert now that Penelope and Josie were both up and talking. Odey had repositioned himself so that he wasn’t laying on Homer anymore and was fighting for more attention. Apparently one hand on each dog wasn’t enough for either of them because they would go back and forth trying to push the other out of the way.

“Hey boys!” Josie said as she walked out of the bathroom, “Who wasn’t to give their moms some alone time? How about we go into the kitchen for some breakfast?” Penelope grinned when both Homer and Odey jumped up and out of the bed, racing towards the kitchen, “Two more minutes,” Josie told Penelope as she followed the dogs.

Once Josie was gone, Penelope pulled her phone out of her sweatpants’ pocket and checked her email while she waited for Josie to come back. It took more than two minutes, but when Josie came back into the room, she had two mugs in her hands.

“I figured maybe you’d want some tea?” Josie suggested, handing a cup to Penelope.

“Thank you,” Penelope smiled as she took it.

“I never really kept tea in the house. Not until I met you at least,” Josie admitted as she climbed back into bed, “Now I have a stockpile in the pantry just in case you come over.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Penelope told her.

“I wanted to,” Josie replied, putting her tea aside and turning back to Penelope, “You’ve been so good to me and I don’t really know how to repay you for it all. How to show you that I want this just as much as you do. But I can do the little things. I can have a cup of your favorite tea ready for when you come over. I can feed Homer breakfast. I can make you breakfast. I just want to show you that I care.”

“Don’t worry,” Penelope smiled, putting her tea on the nightstand next to her, “I know you care, and I know you want this. And if you want to know how you can repay me?” Penelope’s smile turned to a devilish grin, “Just keep kissing me.”

“Is it that easy?” Josie raised an eyebrow in challenge.

“It is,” Penelope told her, “I’m quite easy to please.”

“Good to know,” Josie laughed before leaning in and capturing Penelope’s bottom lip between her own. As great as their make-out session was the previous night, there was something so much more intimate about the small, soft kisses that they were sharing in bed this morning. Josie would take these kisses over all of the others for the rest of her life, and Penelope was thinking the same thing.

When their kisses settled, Josie and Penelope wound up scrolling through their own phone discussing the news that they had each seen. Josie had connected her phone to the Bluetooth speaker she had in her room and was playing music in the background of their conversation.

“Oh my god, I love this song,” Josie said just as she heard the intro to the song that was streaming through the speakers.

Penelope had never heard the song before, but the tune was incredibly catchy, and the lyrics were sweet despite the song’s sadder theme.

“ _Slow down, lie down. Remember it’s just you and me,”_ Josie sang along softly. Penelope watched the joy radiate from the woman’s features as she sang along. She felt her heart start beating a little slower as Josie’s soothing, calm voice eased all her tensions.

Josie stopped singing when she realized Penelope was watching her intently. With a soft smile, Penelope told her, “No, keep going. I love your voice.”

“ _Grant my last request and just let me hold you. Don’t shrug your shoulders, lay down beside me,”_ Josie continued. As she sang, Penelope lifted one of her arms and laid it across the back of Josie’s shoulders, pulling her in. Josie continued singing softly against Penelope’s chest. Her smile was wide because Penelope was doing all the good things that the song was talking about. Holding her, laying with her, showing her that she cares. Josie just prayed that she and Penelope would never fit the rest of the song. Never have to think that what they’re doing is wrong, never find any lies, never have a ‘last request’.

When the song finally finished and Josie stopped singing, Penelope leaned her head down and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of Josie’s head. She continued to hold Josie in her arms, just enjoying the soft music and their time together until Josie’s stomach growled.

“Someone’s a little hungry, huh?” Penelope laughed.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Josie giggled and nuzzled her head further into Penelope’s chest, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“Neither have I,” Penelope told her, “Want to get up and maybe go to a diner?”

“No,” Josie said but her serious demeanor was betrayed by another growl from her stomach.

“Looks like your stomach doesn’t agree with your decision,” Penelope teased.

“Five more minutes,” Josie sighed, “It can wait five more minutes.”

“Okay,” Penelope grinned, wrapping her other arm around Josie’s front to pull her in and hold her completely, “Five more minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the pace of my updates is going to change again. I just got word this morning that I'm going back to work this week. I'm definitely not going to be able to update every two days now. I'm not sure what the pace is going to be but I'm going to do my best for at least once a week, if not more. I'll keep everyone updated on Twitter for what's going to be happening!
> 
> Thank you for understanding!
> 
> Follow me on twitter (@JojoPark7) if you want to chat about the story or just to chat in general! See y'all next time!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!

**(8 months later)**

Autumn had turned into spring and spring had turned into summer. Penelope and Josie had attended high school graduation to watch their students over the years walk across the stage. They stood side by side at the end hugging their kids and shaking parents’ hands. Bringing up old memories and laughing about funny stories.

The final person to come up to them, when the football field was nearly cleared out, was Megan. She approached with caution, her steps small, and her eyes on the ground.

“So, this is it, huh?” She whispered once she was standing in front of Penelope and Josie.

Josie sniffled slightly, always getting upset at the end of the year, but this time was different. Penelope reached over and took her hand. She squeezed it in hopes of giving her girlfriend a little bit of comfort.

“It’s been one hell of a ride,” Penelope responded, “I want to say thank you.”

“For what?” Megan asked, finally looking up and meeting their eyes.

“For making my first year here so great,” Penelope explained, “You threw me for a loop in the beginning. You made my life a living hell. You kept me on my toes. But in the end, you reminded me exactly why I became a teacher. You re-sparked that passion. You helped me just as much as I helped you and should know that.”

“Well I want to say thank you too,” Megan said, “High school’s been hard for me. I love learning but somehow, I fell into that popular crowd and I felt like I always had to be the bitch so that I could keep my friends. The more confused I got with myself and my sexuality, the bitchier I got. I’m sorry for treating you with such little respect in the beginning. Same with you last year Miss Saltzman. But everything kind of changed this year and you two had a big part in that. You never gave up on me like some of the other teachers did. You treated me like an adult, and you didn’t just roll your eyes and ignore me. You were there to talk and listen and you actually tried to understand me. I really, really appreciate that.”

“Megan, Pen was right. It’s kids like you that make us love what we do,” Josie smiled, “Don’t apologize for struggling. Be proud of who you are and what you overcame these past few years. You’re on your way to your dream college and you’re going to do great things. We’re going to be stuck here dealing with a bunch of bozos wishing that we had another student like you. So, be sure to come back and visit. Give us a little bit of a break from all of the craziness.”

“Of course, I will!” Megan laughed, “By the way, I told my parents everything. I told them everything you guys did to help me through it. They were great about it and really appreciative that I had people like you to help me through it. I’d like you guys to meet them.”

“Are they here?” Penelope asked, looking around and seeing that they were the only three people left on the football field.

“They went to get the car, but we’re having family over for a little graduation BBQ,” Megan explained. Her eyes fell to the floor out of embarrassment as she asked the next question, “Maybe you guys could pop by?”

“They’d be okay with that?” Josie checked.

“I asked them before the ceremony. They were excited to get to talk to you two,” Megan nodded and looked up with pleading eyes.

Penelope looked at Josie for confirmation and when the taller woman nodded, Penelope said, “Of course we will.”

“Yeah?” Megan asked, smiling until it reached her eyes.

“Do you have your phone on you?” Penelope asked again. Megan nodded, pulled it out from under her graduation gown, and handed it to Penelope. Penelope typed away in it before handing it back, “Send me the address and the time. We’ll be there.”

“Okay!” Megan exclaimed.

“And Megan?” Penelope started, “Keep me updated through the summer and through school? You can text or call me whenever you want, okay?”

“The same goes for me,” Josie told her. Megan nodded and handed over her phone again for Josie to put her contact information in.

Megan’s smile grew wider when she looked at the name Josie put in for herself. It read **Josie Saltzman (the best teacher ever)**. She chose not to laugh or say anything that would get the other teacher’s attention. For now, that name was between herself and Miss S. What Miss Park didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her.

“By the way,” Megan spoke as she watched Penelope take Josie’s now free hand, “How are you two?”

Penelope and Josie looked at each other with matching grins on their faces, “Good. Really good,” Penelope told her.

“Am I getting invited to the wedding?” Megan teased. Even if her teachers didn’t want to admit it, Megan knew she had a big role in getting them to finally address their feelings for each other. She expected that invitation as a thank you.

“With everything you did to push us together, you’re probably going to end up as a bridesmaid,” Josie laughed.

“But which one of us gets her?” Penelope turned towards Josie to ask.

“She was my student first,” Josie pointed out.

“But she likes me better,” Penelope countered.

Megan started laughing because she remembered what Josie put as her contact name in her phone. If she was being honest, she didn’t prefer one of them over the other. They both were amazing and they both helped her exponentially through the last two years of high school. She didn’t say anything to stop the bickering because she was loving the attention.

“We both know that’s not true,” Josie shot back, “I’m the obvious favorite.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, babe,” Penelope joked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone fight over me before,” Megan chimed in, “You guys are really boosting my ego right now.”

“Well we can’t have that,” Josie laughed, “Your ego is already too big.”

Megan glared at her but ended up laughing along because she knew Josie was right. Penelope watched at Josie went in for a hug, wrapping her arms around the student and holding her tightly. A small smile broke out across her face, seeing Josie be so loving and so motherly to a child who wasn’t even hers. Megan had become very important to them both. She was a big reason that Josie and Penelope were together. She was more of a friend than a student, and on some occasions, more like a child to them than anything else. Penelope and Josie became Megan’s confidants, her school family, the people she could come to with absolutely anything, and always feel heard and understood. Penelope loved how it turned out between them all. She wouldn’t have changed anything about it. Not even the rough beginning because that’s what made their story even better. It showed their growth, how strong their bond really became, how no matter how a relationship starts, it can always develop in the most unexpected ways.

If anyone had asked Penelope in the very beginning where she thought she and Megan’s relationship would go, Penelope would have told them ‘nowhere’. She would have told them that Megan was the biggest pain in the ass, that she made every day dreadful, that she didn’t respect the student at all. But now, that was the complete opposite. Penelope was getting teary-eyed as she watched Josie and Megan say their formal goodbyes. She was thinking back on all the times that Megan came into her room to rant or to just sit and eat lunch because she was done putting on the fake smile with her popular friends. She thought about all the book discussions and the open-minded conversations that they would have while Megan was in study hall. All the times that Megan had come by her room and interrupted a moment with Josie, and they would all end up laughing at the awkwardness of it all. It was something Penelope was going to miss more than anything.

“Okay you two,” Penelope spoke up, interrupting their hug, “This isn’t out final goodbye. We’ve still got a party to go to tonight and I’m sure Megan won’t go two days without texting one of us.”

“I think you’re just jealous,” Josie teased, sticking her tongue out like a little kid.

“Well I wouldn’t mind getting a hug too,” Penelope told them, “But you’re hogging our kid!”

“Did I just get adopted?” Megan chuckled.

“Apparently so,” Josie laughed. She turned to Penelope and said, “I’m way too young to have an 18-year-old, you know.”

“Keyword: adopted,” Penelope pointed out.

“True…” Josie nodded slowly, “Okay. I can dig it.”

“Do I have to start calling you guys mom?” Megan asked, still laughing at the situation. She had no issue with the idea. She considered them more family than teachers at this point. They had taken her under their wing and been more for her than most people in her life have ever been. Her mother might get jealous is Megan started calling two other people “mom” but a piece of her believed that her mother would be just as happy to have such great supporter in her daughter’s life.

“You don’t have to,” Josie told her, “But I think you can stop with the Miss S. stuff.”

“It’s going to be so weird calling you by your first name,” Megan cringed slightly.

“Most people call me Jo if that’s any better,” Josie explained.

“What about Jojo?” Megan said, looking right at Penelope.

“No,” Penelope said bluntly, “That’s my thing.”

“Fine,” Megan sighed, “But only because I’ve given you enough shit this year.”

Penelope laughed, “You got better, though.”

“Yeah, after you bribed me with a letter of recommendation and books!” Megan teased Penelope, “I don’t even know what would have happened if you hadn’t thought to do that.”

“Well, I’d like to think that we would have gotten along eventually,” Penelope chuckled, “I would have whooped you into shape eventually.”

“Teasing aside,” Megan started, “I really am glad that everything went the way it did. I really don’t know what I would have done without you guys this year.”

“Well, nothing has to change after today,” Josie told her, “We’re still here. No matter what you need, we’ve got your back, Megan.”

“Well, I should probably get going,” Megan sighed, “I’ll see you guys later?”

“Yes ma’am. We’ll be there,” Penelope said as Josie nodded along with her statement.

\------------

The gate on the fence was held open by a red brick. The sound of men arguing over the baseball season, glasses clinking, and little kids screaming while they run around sounded over the fence. Penelope and Josie walked through the gate as they were instructed to do in the text from Megan and walked towards the largest group they could find.

“YOU’RE HERE!” Megan yelled as she came running towards them.

“Did you just sit here watching the gate until we arrived?” Josie laughed because the girl had found them nearly the second that they walked into the backyard.

“Maybe…” Megan laughed, “It’s only my family here. I have no one to talk to.”

“Well, you have us now,” Josie grinned.

“Do you guys want something to drink?” Megan asked, “There’s a cooler over there with waters and sodas and a little bar my dad set up in the corner.”

“Water is fine,” Penelope said for herself and Josie agreed.

“Okay!” Megan smiled and walked them towards the deck, “My parents are really excited to meet you. They’re just up here talking with my grandma.”

As Megan lead them up the steps to the deck, a taller man caught their eyes before turning to an older woman and excusing himself.

“Megs!” The taller man smiled, “Are these your teachers?”

Megan nodded with a bright grin and turned to the two women, “This is my dad.”

“John,” He introduced himself.

“I’m Josie,” Josie smiled as she shook his hand.

“Penelope,” The other woman greeted once it was her turn.

“Beth! Come over here!” John called over his shoulder. A woman who looked just like Megan came strolling over. When she got to her husband’s side, John continued, “This is Josie and Penelope. Megan’s two teachers.”

“It’s so great to finally have some faces to put to the names,” Beth laughed, “I don’t think Megan has gone a day without telling us something about you two.”

“All good things, I hope,” Penelope laughed.

“No. Only the worst possible things,” Megan teased her. Penelope rolled her eyes at the girl but smiled because Megan was just being herself.

“I’m really glad you two could make it,” Beth said, “Not to embarrass my daughter, but she was so nervous to ask you two.”

“If the second half of the school year taught her anything, it’s that we really can’t say no to her,” Josie chuckled.

“True. Very true,” Megan giggled.

“You know,” John started, “She was always a smart girl, but she’d get herself into trouble all the time. It wasn’t until last year that she started to shape up. She started going off about your class, Josie, and it was like everything changed for her. And then this year, it changed even more. When she came out to us and she told us how you guys were such an influence for her, I knew that we needed to meet you and say thank you.”

“It’s true. She hadn’t smile this much or been this open and really herself in years. It has to be hard when you have to working parents and so little time with them. You two really gave her a safe place and someone to confide in. We really do appreciate it,” Beth added.

Megan stood quietly, listening to her parents praise her teachers. She was glad that her parents say Josie and Penelope in the same light as she did. Some parents might have been offended that their child went to other adults for life advice over them, but her parents understood that it was hard for her. They understood that there wasn’t enough time in the day to sit them down and discuss things because they were all so busy. They understood that she came to them when she was ready, and they were beyond appreciative of the people who helped her get to that point.

“I told Megan this earlier too. She helped me as much as I helped her. Starting at a new school is never easy and while she was a pain in the butt in the beginning, she reminded me day after day of why I became a teacher,” Penelope explained, “It just sucks that I only got the one year with her in school. She has some incredible thoughts about literature and I’m really going to miss those discussions.”

“I’m literally going to text you all day, every day through the summer and college,” Megan told her, “Don’t worry too much about missing me because you’re going to get sick of me really quick.”

“I want in on those texts,” Josie told her.

“Group chat it is then,” Megan laughed, “OOOO WE CAN MAKE A BOOK CLUB!”

“That isn’t a terrible idea,” Penelope smiled.

“Megan, they have jobs and you have school,” John chuckled, “You can’t text them all day.”

“Okay, most of the day then,” Megan corrected herself.

Beth couldn’t help but laugh. She had never seen her daughter so out of her shell before, “Well, why don’t you guys go grab some food and we can all sit and talk. I’d love to hear all about the year!”

“NO!” Megan yelled.

“Why not?” Beth asked, confused by her daughter’s reaction.

“Because we have plenty of embarrassing and incriminating stories,” Josie laughed as she explained Megan’s reaction.

“And plenty that we’re willing to share,” Penelope said, eyeing the student with a teasing look.

“I hate you guys,” Megan laughed.

“No, you don’t,” Both Josie and Penelope said at the same time. Everyone laughed before going over to the BBQ buffet table and filling their plates. They sat together at a little table and shared stories about the year. Some embarrassed Megan but the majority of them had her reminiscing and missing the school year greatly. She was moving into the next chapter of her life, but she would never forget all of the times she shared with her two favorite teachers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys... one chapter left!! I'll have it out next week because I'm working 10-12 hour shifts tomorrow through Sunday. 
> 
> We're almost at the end and I want to say a few things before we get there.
> 
> What some of you don't know is that while writing this story, I was also working on writing my 2nd book, taking classes and exams, taking part in 2 book clubs, and working. How I kept up with this story the way that I did, I don't know, but I think it was because of everyone reading it. You guys gave me something to look forward to. All of your comments and Tweets and CuriousCats made my day. Even when you were all sending me the same "Update please" messages, it never annoyed me. It always reminded me that people enjoy what I write and all I ever wanted with this story was to make some people smile. I hope that I did that. 
> 
> Just a little self-plug now... As I said before, I'm working on my 2nd book. In 2018 I self-published a wlw romance of sorts. It started as a 100-page novella for a high school English project, but I ran with it a little further. Like I said though, I wrote it in 2018 and my writing skills have improved exponentially since then. A lot of people were pissed off by the ending, but at the time and the place I was in at the time, it felt right. I won't promise you a happy ending, but I can promise you some feels. So if you want to give it a read, I'll drop the link to the Amazon page. It's available in Kindle and Paperback, but please don't feel obligated. Buy it and read it if you want, but I'll keep posting new stuff on here if you don't.  
> https://www.amazon.com/Find-You-Kathryn-Demuro-ebook/dp/B07GBGFJW3/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
> 
> Also, in the last chapter, I posted the Spotify playlist that I use for writing this story. I'll link it again here for anyone who missed it. I've added some new stuff to it, so maybe you'll find something new that you like!!   
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6G2d4JweOVE6ruwbetf8Al?si=JdGW1x1jSfioy0XqGoyRAA
> 
> As always, follow me on twitter if you want to talk (@JojoPark7). It can be about the story, future stories, or just life. I'm always down for new friends. 
> 
> I'll see you guys next week for the final chapter!!


	19. Chapter 19 - The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even begin to apologize enough for how long this update took. I don't really have an excuse as to why I still hadn't updated by August. In June, I popped a hernia and needed surgery, which was a bit more extensive than they originally thought it would be. So my recovery was a little rough since I had to go back to work too. But after that, I really don't have any other excuses for not writing so I'm just here to say I AM SO SORRY! I also apologize for telling you this would be up at the beginning of January because I seemed to have forgotten that I have a second job now and not nearly as much time to write as I thought I did. Anyway, I'm sorry again and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Summer thunderstorms were nothing new to Virginia. As the humidity grew, the clouds would get larger and darker until they took over the once blue skies. It always started with a few small drops, the ground moistening as the wet air continued condensing. It always ended with rumbles of thunder coming to a slow and steady halt, puddles no longer growing but absorbing back into the earth.

This time was different, though. This time, clear skies immediately turned to torrential downpours. The rumbling was replaced with bellows that shook the ground and cracks of lighting so bright that you could see a mile away. Penelope watched the rain splash against the concrete of Josie’s driveway from the bay window in her living room. Every few seconds she turn her attention from the window to check on the dogs who were curled up into each other, hiding their ears from the monstrous sounds outside.

Odey had come bounding inside seconds after the first crack of lighting. He had leapt into Penelope’s arms, shaking and seeking comfort. Penelope was confused as to why he had chosen her over his own mother, but with a quick peak outside, she saw that Josie wasn’t home. She was glad that Odey had thought to come to her, to come and stay with someone who could keep an eye on him while the world started to flood, but she was worried about Josie.

Penelope’s attention was brought back to the bay window when she heard a car door slam and running footsteps on her front porch. Both dogs were off of the couch and at the door before Penelope could take her first step.

“Hey,” Penelope smiled and let out a breath of relief as she opened the door for her girlfriend. She had been watching out the window for nearly an hour, waiting for any sign of Josie.

“Hi,” Josie sighed out, wiping the drips of water off of her forehead. Once she rid her face of as much rainwater as possible, she leaned in and gave Penelope a short kiss, “I’m glad Odey’s here. I was worried he’d be alone at home.”

“After the first crack of lightening, I went from having one dry dog in my lap to one dry dog and one sopping wet dog. He’s been here, hiding his face in Homer’s arm for the last hour,” Penelope explained, peeking over her shoulder to see that both dogs had resumed their previous position.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get home,” Josie apologized, “And I’m sorry I didn’t answer your text. The roads are atrocious right now. I could barely see two feet in front of me the whole time.”

“Don’t apologize for driving safely during a monsoon,” Penelope chuckled, “I’m just glad you got here safely.”

“Me too,” Josie agreed, a small shiver running down her spine as she spoke. She wasn’t sure if it was from the sweet, loving look that Penelope was giving her or a chill from the fact that she was soaked to the bone.

Penelope didn’t miss the small shake and immediately grabbed Josie’s hand, “Let’s go get you into some dry clothes.”

Together, they walked down the hall and into Penelope’s room. Josie inhaled deeply when she reached the doorway, the smell of the woman she loved taking over her every sense. There was something about that smell, the clean sheets and the candle Penelope always had burning in her room, that made Josie feel at home.

She watched as Penelope dug through her drawers, pulling out different garments that she knew would keep Josie warm. With her arms now full, Penelope turned back and asked, “Do you want to take a shower?”

“Depends,” Josie smirked, “Are you going to join me?”

“I think that can be arranged,” Penelope grinned back. Just as she took a step forward, ready to wipe that smirk right off of Josie’s face, another rumble of thunder shook the house. The boys bolted from the living room into Penelope’s bedroom, whining and shaking as they waited for comfort.

“Raincheck?” Penelope asked Josie as she crouched down to hold the two dogs in her arms.

“I think that’s for the best,” Josie agreed with a quick nod. She followed suit, getting down on her knees to pet the two animals, and watched as her own dog took more comfort in his neighbor than his own mother. It didn’t bother Josie, though. Instead, she continued to stroke through the fur underneath his collar and smile at the fact that Odey loved Penelope just as much as she did.

“Your mom is going to get jealous, buddy,” Penelope told the dog as she looked up at her girlfriend. She noticed the loving smile and the complete lack of envy in Josie’s eyes, “What?” She asked, hoping for an explanation for the dream-like look covering Josie’s face.

“I’m just so in love with you,” Josie whispered, smiling at the woman in front of her.

A large smile broke out across Penelope’s face, “Do you remember the first time you told me that?” Penelope asked.

“I do,” Josie answered, falling backwards from her knees onto her butt so that she could sit and reminisce with Penelope.

“You looked so scared when those words slipped out of your mouth,” Penelope laughed, “I thought you were about to have a stroke.”

The dream-like look that was on Josie’s face moments ago took over Penelope’s as she thought back to that very wonderful day.

_Penelope had called out of work sick that day. She spiked a fever around midnight, waking up in a pile of sweat and praying that a fever was all she would get. But around one in the morning the waves of nausea and by two she was finally able to rid her system of whatever was trying to kill her. She spent most of the early morning rolling out of bed and running to the bathroom and by 6 am she was exhausted. She called the school in between bathroom trips and explained her situation, requesting that they get a substitute teacher in for her classes. When she was off the phone with them, she sent Josie a text, letting her know she wasn’t feeling well and that they should probably avoid each other until Penelope felt better. She didn’t want to get her girlfriend stick because whatever stomach bug she had right now was torturous. She would feel horrible if Josie wound up in the same situation._

**_PP Park:_ ** **_Hey, I won’t be in school today. Spiked a fever last night and haven’t even been able to keep water down since 2. It’s probably best that you don’t come over tonight like we planned. I don’t want you getting sick because of me._**

_Penelope didn’t bother waiting for a response. Hey stomach was aching, her head was killing her, and she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She knew getting some sleep would help, so she lined a bucket with a garbage bag and put it next to her bed incase she couldn’t get up in time if she were to be sick again. Penelope climbed back into bed, wrapped herself up in her covers, and let herself dose off._

_She didn’t know how long she had slept for, all she knew is that she hadn’t woken up to get sick in a while. So, when her eyes opened by themselves, she rolled over to check the time. On her nightstand was a bottle of orange Gatorade, some Advil, and a glass of water. She didn’t remember getting up to get those things, let alone ever getting any Gatorade from the store, but whatever guardian angel had dropped those off for her was to be thanked._

_Penelope sat up and grabbed the Gatorade, cracked the cap, and started taking small sips of it. She felt dehydrated and knew that the electrolytes would help, and the sugar would allow her system something to process for energy. After a few minutes and no signs of the Gatorade coming back up, she popped the Advil in her mouth and swallowed it down. Hopefully, she was done getting sick and could spend the rest of the day recuperating._

_Just as she was about to lay back and look through her phone notifications, she heard her back door open and the sound of clicking paws though the house._

_“No,” She heard someone whisper in a stern tone, “Don’t go wake her up! She needs her sleep. I took you guys out to play to avoid this.”_

_Penelope immediately recognized the voice and smiled. She had specifically told Josie not to come over because she didn’t want her getting sick, but Josie was Josie and obviously came anyway to check on Penelope._

_“They can come in,” Penelope said in a raspy, sickly voice, “I’m awake anyway.”_

_Footsteps sounded down the hall, followed by two sets of paw-steps, until all three of them were standing in Penelope’s doorway._

_“You look like shit,” Josie smirked while looking over her girlfriend._

_“Thank you. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear after being hung over a toilet all night,” Penelope chuckled. She knew Josie was just messing with her._

_Josie took a few more steps into the room, hesitant because she thought Penelope would yell at her for getting too close. When Penelope didn’t say anything, Josie continued into the room until she was climbing in bed next to her. Odey and Homer followed suit, jumping in and curling up at the foot of the bed._

_“You shouldn’t get too close,” Penelope warned half-heartedly. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to cuddle up and feel safe, “You might get the bubonic plague.”_

_“Oh hush,” Josie playfully slapped at her arm, “It’s not the plague. You have a stomach bug.”_

_Penelope smiled softly, but even the muscles in her face were achy, “Thank you for the Gatorade.”_

_“I figured you’d need it,” Josie explained, “With you and your tea addiction, I didn’t want you drinking tea all day. It’ll dehydrate you more. So, I got you a few of those. There are more in the fridge if you need them.”_

_“You know me so well,” Penelope chuckled and the fell back into her pillows. Last she looked at her phone, it was about 5 pm, but despite the fact that she slept for nearly 10 hours, she still felt exhausted._

_Josie leaned over and put the back of her hand against Penelope’s forehead. She was still warm, but not nearly as warm as when Josie checked on her when she first arrived._

_“How long have you been here?” Penelope asked._

_“Since about 2:30,” Josie answered._

_“School doesn’t let out until 3.”_

_“I know. I took a half day after not hearing from you since 6. I wanted to make sure you didn’t die,” Josie laughed, “So, I went to the store and got you a few things and then came right over. You know, you really should lock your back door.”_

_“I have a Pitbull in the house and a German Shepherd on call,” Penelope told her as if that was a good enough explanation. Josie looked slightly confused so Penelope continued, “Anything or anyone who comes in will immediately regret it.”_

_“Fair enough,” Josie sighed, not wanting to argue with the woman who looked like death._

_“I’m sorry you have to put up with me like this,” Penelope apologized, “And I’m sorry if I get you sick.”_

_Josie reached out her hand and cradled Penelope’s cheek. She brushed her thump back and forth as she spoke, “That’s what you do for the people you love.”_

_It didn’t even occur to Josie what she was saying until she had finished. Her movements immediately stopped but she kept her hand in place. She could feel the blood run from her face and the panic start to take over. She had just told Penelope she loved her. For the first time. While the girl was laid up in bed, sweating and sick. It wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t the way she planned to do it, it just slipped out. But it didn’t make it any less true for Josie._

_Penelope watched her carefully, watched as the fear filled her eyes, watched as she turned as white as a ghost, and all she could do was smile. Mustering all of the energy she had left, Penelope pushed herself up into a sitting position so that she was face to face with her girlfriend._

_She guided Josie’s hand from her face and held it in her lap, “I love you, too.”_

_Josie’s eyes shot up and locked with Penelope’s as the brightest smile in the world formed on her face. All she could think to do was lean forward and capture the lips of the woman she loved. She wanted to live in that moment forever, lock in those buzzing feelings and the pure joy, and kiss her with everything she had. But Penelope pulled away._

_“As much as I would love to kiss you,” Penelope paused, “It’s probably not the best idea right now.”_

_Josie smiled at how caring Penelope was being when Josie was the one trying to take care of her. She let go of Penelope’s hand, raised it to her jaw line, and said, “Pen, I really don’t care,” before she kissed her anyway._

“And you never got sick,” Penelope thought out loud when she finally re-entered reality.

“Nope,” Josie laughed, knowing that her girlfriend was just daydreaming, “Not even a sniffle.”

“I’m so in love with you, too, by the way,” Penelope told her, referring to what Josie had said before Penelope went back to the past.

“I know,” Josie laughed, “I’m going to get changed,” She said, standing up and walking over to the bed where Penelope had laid out her clothes.

Penelope stood as well and walked up behind her until she was flush against Josie’s back. She started playing with the bottom hem of Josie’s t-shirt and Josie twisted her head towards Penelope in confusion.

“No funny business because of the dogs. I know,” Penelope said softly, “I just want to be close to you.”

Josie smiled and nodded so Penelope grabbed onto the edges of Josie’s shirt and started lifting it up her torso. Once she reached the bra line, Josie raised her arms slightly to give Penelope the flexibility she needed to take the shirt off completely. The shirt was dropped on the floor and Penelope stepped forward again. Her arms wrapped around Josie’s midsection, with her hands folded together across Josie’s stomach. She felt Josie relax into her, felt her take a deep breath and release it slowly.

“I love you so much, Jojo,” Penelope breathed out across Josie’s bare shoulder and then placed a soft kiss against her skin.

Josie could feel every nerve in her body start to tingle and she cursed mother nature and her thunder for interfering with what could have been an exciting evening. At the same time, Josie was content wrapped up in her girlfriend’s arms. She felt safe and warm and as much as she wanted to turn around and undress Penelope, she could live the rest of her life just being held like this.

“I just want you to know that you’re absolutely killing me right now,” Josie chuckled but continued leaning back into Penelope’s arms.

“Don’t worry, once the storm passes, you’re all mine,” Penelope smiled, “But for now, let’s finish up,” Penelope said, referring to the topless Josie in front of her and the warm, dry clothes on the bed.

Penelope took a small step back, unclasped Josie’s bra with one hand, and helped to guild it off of her shoulders. She knew that touching Josie any more would be torturous, so she kept her hands to herself and grabbed the shirt from the bed. She and Josie worked together to slip it over her head and down her body and by the time it was one, Josie could already feel herself starting to warm up. Next, she pointed to the bed and asked Josie to sit down. Once she did, Penelope got to unzipping her boots and pulling them off one by one. Josie buttoned her jeans and tugged them down around her ankles before taking the sweatpants Penelope was offering her.

There was something so intimate, yet so innocent about Penelope helping her. She could see the love in Penelope’s eyes as each piece of wet clothing came off, but also the fire behind her eyes as each new piece of bare skin was exposed. Josie felt loved and beautiful, safe and comfortable, all at once, but she wasn’t surprised by this. That’s exactly how Penelope has made her feel since day one.

“Let’s go watch a movie,” Penelope suggested once Josie finished tugging the sweats up her body, “I’ll make you a cup of tea to warm up.”

“Okay,” Josie nodded.

\----------

Josie and Penelope both fell asleep on the couch during their second movie. It wasn’t until the sun was shining the next day that Penelope noticed the position, they were in. She was laying down, her back up against the back of the couch, and Josie was cuddled up into her.

Penelope blinked her eyes a few times, trying to regain her senses and let her eyes readjust to the brightness in the room. With a small stretch and a soft kiss on the top of Josie’s head, Penelope used the ninja-like skills to untangle herself from Josie and get off of the couch. Josie immediately reached for one of the pillows and tugged it closer to her, her sleeping brain thinking that it was Penelope.

Deciding to let the girl sleep a little while longer, Penelope made a quick trip to the bathroom to relieve her bladder and brush her teeth. When she was finished, she went to the kitchen and started the kettle to make some tea and then began to feed the dogs.

Normally, once she picked up their bowls to start feeding them, Odey and Homer were both by her side waiting impatiently until she put them back down. This wasn’t the case this morning. Penelope was able to fill the bowls and put them back on the floor without any dogs rushing to her side. She realized she hadn’t seen them yet this morning, not by the couch and not in her room when she was going to the bathroom.

“Hmm,” She hummed to herself, wondering whether they went to Josie’s house when the rain finally stopped. She finished making the two cups of tea, tossing the soaked bags into the trash can, and then decided that she would go look for them.

Penelope started looking outside first, it was most likely that they would be in one of the yards seeing as though they normally went out at this time every day. So, Penelope opened her back door and stepped out onto the deck that lined the back of her house.

The first thing she saw where the two dogs running around the yard, happy and completely fine, which relieved the stress in her shoulders. She was worried that they may have gone out during the storm and something bad had happened. The second thing she saw, though, immediately brought that stress back.

Laying across both her and Josie’s yard was a massive branch, possibly even the top half of a whole tree. Under it was a fence, their fence, the fence that she and Josie carved though to create a constant access point for the boys. Nearly three-fourths of the fence was crushed, splintering shards coming out of every side of it, and leaves and smaller branches everywhere.

Penelope didn’t know what to do. All she could do was close her eyes, bury her face in her hands, and sigh. The sound of the door opening behind her made her look up.

“Oh shit,” Josie breathed out softly. Penelope knew exactly what she was thinking about when she said that. Different variations of that phrase were going off in her head once she saw it too.

“Yeah,” Penelope sighed, “I guess it happened in the middle of the night. We would have heard _that_ ,” Penelope pointed to the massive tree, “If we were awake.”

“Well…” Josie thought for a moment, but quickly realized there wasn’t an easy fix for this one, “The fence is shot.”

“Yeah,” Penelope said again, “You don’t happen to have a chainsaw?”

“Nope,” Josie shook her head, still staring at the destruction in front of her.

“Me either,” Penelope laughed. Josie looked at her momentarily confused, but she began laughing too.

There was a lot of irony in this situation. Josie and Penelope met because of that fence. Because Homer decided to dig under it. Because that fence was in the way of him and his new playmate. Because that fence was the only thing separating Josie and Penelope. They made a temporary fix by putting in that dog door. They allowed the two dogs to run back and forth between the households, which gave Josie and Penelope more excuses to see each other. But that fence still represented something. A wall, an interference, a separation, a hinderance from what could come next for them. That fence separated a property line between two houses, but it also separated two people’s lives.

For months, Penelope had been wondering what it would be like to fall asleep with Josie every night. What it would be like to wake up next to her every morning. What it would be like to share a bed and a bathroom and a kitchen and a couch. For months, she had been wondering when it might be the right time to suggest these things. And for months, she had been putting it off out of the uncertainty of the timing.

But now, the two women were standing on Penelope’s back deck, staring at a tree that had finally destroyed the wall that separated their lives.

“I guess I’ll go make a few calls. We’re going to need a tree service and someone who can rebuild a fence,” Penelope said but didn’t move.

“Do we really need to rebuild it?” Josie asked, “I mean, what’s so wrong with having our yards connected? We had the dog door anyway.”

“Technically we don’t need to, but that’s all going to depend on what you say to the question I’m about to ask you,” Penelope said, her heart pounding out of her chest.

“Okay?” Josie nodded.

“I think we should fix the fence because I don’t want our properties connected,” Penelope said, and Josie’s face fell. Before Josie could show any more disappointment, Penelope continued, “I don’t want our properties connected because I don’t want us to have two properties.”

“What?” Josie asked, looking at Penelope with an extremely confused look.

“I don’t know if it’s too soon. It might be or it might not be, but I do know what I want. I don’t want two properties and two houses and two sides of a fence. I don’t want two bedrooms and two kitchens. I don’t want somewhere for one of us to go at the end of the night. I don’t want a half empty bed or a bathroom with a spare toothbrush,” Penelope explained, “I want one place where we can fall asleep together every night and wake up together every morning. I want one place where we can dance around the kitchen at 2am after making snacks together in the middle of the night. I want one place where the boys know is home.”

Josie watched Penelope very carefully, reading every movement, taking in every word, looking for any hesitancy. But there was none. All she could see was hope and love in Penelope’s eyes and that made Josie’s heart soar.

“I don’t care which house it is, but I want it to become _our_ house. And if you say yes, then we need to get that fence fixed so that the next owner isn’t bombarded by our dogs. Homer already dug under the fence once and it led you right to my heart. But I would feel very bad for our new neighbor if Homer took it upon himself to break in again. So, let’s put it back up, maybe a little deeper into the ground this time, but let’s not let it separate us anymore,” Penelope finished.

“Your place is newer,” Josie said softly, “And it’s bigger than mine. And I really do love your bay window.”

“Are you saying yes?” Penelope asked hopefully.

“Of course, I’m saying yes, Pen! I want to live the rest of my life with you. I want a future with you. I want a family with you. I want to experience everything with you. And this is just the next step in doing that,” Josie explained.

“Okay,” Penelope smiled and the leaned forward to give Josie the most passionate, joyful kiss in the world, “I love you and I cannot wait to officially start out lives together.”

“Me too. Now, let’s go make some calls. We need to find a tree removal service, a fence service,” Josie paused before leaning in to whisper, “And a realtor.”

**The End :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start by saying thank you for reading this story and thank you for all of the wonderful comments, tweets, and love. You all are amazing. I'm not sure how many Posie stans there are left, let alone Legacies stans, but for those of you who are left and read this last chapter, know that you mean the world to me. Every chapter I posted, I was blasted with CCs, DMs, tweets, and comments begging for the next update and while that may annoy some people, it actually motivated me and always seemed to make me smile. This story has been such a ride and a fun one at that. I tried to give you a happy, angst-free story so that the crappy times were living in right now, seem a little less crappy. Even if I only succeeded in that with one person, I'd consider that a total success. 
> 
> I had mentioned in the first chapter and a few times throughout that I've written some books. What I didn't realize until just the other day is that I technically wrote two novels at once when I was writing this because a novel is considered any story over 50,000 words, which Under the Fence is. Pretty cool right?? Anyway, a little self-plug now, on the off chance that any of you want to read something else I wrote outside of Posie, I'll link the book right under this. It's called Crossroads and it can be found on Kindle and paperback through Amazon in every region of the world. Thank you if you do buy and read it, and if not, thank you for supporting me and my writing through my fanfics. You all are wonderful no matter what.  
> https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Kathryn-Demuro/dp/B08JF5HRJ3/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 
> 
> The semester starts next week for me, but I kind of plan on writing a bit as I go because all of my classes are online. So we will see what happens there and if i can actually get it out. I don't have any ideas yet one what I want to write, so please feel free to leave ideas, suggestions, and requests for one-shots or small stories below! It'd be so helpful and get you guys some more things to read.
> 
> I love you all. Thank you for listening to my rant here. Thank you for reading. Thank you for always being so kind. Keep being amazing. Always smile. And I'll see you next time :)
> 
> Twitter: @JojoPark7


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